Annul diversion of green patch near “Amazon of Assam” for coal mining project
- It was allowed without environment impact analysis and jeopardise rights of indigenous populations, say NGOs
- A dozen rights, social and community-based organisations wrote on Saturday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking him to revoke the proposed diversion of a green region near the “Amazon of Assam” for a coal mining project. The Standing Committee of the Environment Ministry’s National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) had on April 7 examined a request for transferring 98.59 hectares from the Saleki Proposed Reserve Forest for a coal mining project by North-Easter Coal Field, a unit of the Coal India Limited (CIL) (CIL).
- Saleki is a part of the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve that encompasses the 111.19 sq. km. Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary and various reserve forests in eastern Assam’s Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. The wildlife refuge is a sub-tropical jungle commonly equated to Amazon.
- In their memorandum, the NGOs stated coal mining in the ecologically sensitive protected area in Assam would harm the rights of the indigenous inhabitants who coexist with nature. These organisation include the Tai-Ahom Yuva Parishad, Swaraj Asom, Jeepal Krishak Sramik Sangha, All Assam Goria Parishad, All Assam Nath Yogi Students’ Union and All Kalita Students’ Union.
- They said pursuing energy from a destructive fossil fuel supporting scams and crime syndicates was imprudent when the world has been converting to cleaner, unconventional energies.
- “We learn that the mining project at Saleki has been exempted from any type of public inspection by NBWL despite its close proximity to a nature sanctuary noted for its lush woods and rich range of plants and animals,” the joint memorandum added.
- Pointing that the proposed mine was cleared without any thorough environment impact analysis, the organisations said the surrounding community were kept in the dark.
- “It is a well-known truth that various State and non-state actors were detected mining in these forests illegally. The CIL was recently punished for mining 73 hectares inside the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve between 2003 and 2019,” the memorandum added.
- “While there should have been a complete ban on any mining or industrial activity in the vicinity of the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary after the fine on CIL, we are shocked that the company is being allowed to carry out mining … the indigenous communities which depend on these forests have been left out while mining companies have been allowed inside,” it said.
- This, they argued, was an example of “great contempt and disrespect” towards populations living adjacent to protected regions, which the BJP administration had committed to safeguard when it came to office. They also pointed to ‘injustice’ meted out to the villagers depending on the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary near Guwahati, who are facing displacement.
- Seeking the withdrawal of the proposal to transfer the Saleki forest land for coal mining, the organisations asked the Prime Minister to recognise the habitat rights of the indigenous forest-dwelling people in Assam under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
- They also demanded an inquiry into all cases of unlawful coal and oil and gas drilling in all the protected areas including Dehing Patkai and prosecution of the culprits by designating the highest investigative agency.