State PCS - West Bengal (WBCS)

• 06 Mar 2025

Deocha Pachami Coal Block

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. 

 Key Points 

• 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. 

 Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harisingha (DPDH) 

 

• 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.