Deocha Pachami Coal Block | 06 Mar 2025

Why in News?

Fresh protests by local villagers have halted ongoing basalt mining at the Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harisingha (DPDH) coal project in West Bengal’s Birbhum district.

Mass Gathering at Project Site:
- Around 300 villagers, mostly women and tribals from Mathura Pahari, Sagarbandi, and Chanda villages, gathered at the DPDH coal project site.
- They demanded a complete halt to mining work in the area.
- Villagers claim they were not informed before mining operations started.
Symbolic Protest and Demands:
- Protesters planted a charka, a tribal tradition of placing sticks in the soil, to symbolize a stoppage of work until the charka is removed.
- They demanded a permanent halt to the coal project and improvements in civic amenities.
- Villagers rejected compensation, stating they would not leave their land for the project.
Environmental and Social Concerns:
- Protesters raised concerns over environmental damage due to mining.
- They highlighted that tribals face arrest for entering forests, while entire forests are being cleared for coal mining.
- Dust from basalt mining is already affecting the local environment and health.

Deaucha Panchami coal block of Birbhum Coalfield Area is World’s Second Largest Coal Block situated in West Bengal.
This coal mine is the largest coal mine or coal block in Asia, due to the number of coal reserves.
It is the newest coal mine in West Bengal.
The proposed mining project at Birbhum coalfield Area has been recently in the news due to expected environmental concerns and displacement of the people from the same area.