Deepka Coal Mine Protest: Villagers enraged by bulldozer action; SECL GM office locked.

Hardibazar. Villagers' anger erupted against the management's action in Hardibazar village, which is falling under the scope of SECL Dipka mine expansion. On Friday morning at 5 am, SECL management demolished 8 government buildings including health centre, Patwari office and Anganwadi with the help of excavator. In protest against this unilateral action, on Saturday morning at 9 am, hundreds of villagers, led by Katghora MLA Premchand Patel and Sarpanch Lokeshwar Kanwar, locked the main gate of Dipka General Manager's (GM) office and started a sit-in.

The villagers were clear that the hospital and other buildings would not be demolished until adequate compensation, jobs, new settlements, and rehabilitation were provided. According to hospital employee Santosh, who spoke about Friday's action, they were not given enough time to retrieve their belongings, leaving important documents, medicines, and other materials buried under the rubble.

On Saturday, patients from several villages arrived for treatment, but after finding the hospital in ruins, they had to return empty-handed. Due to this blockade, work at the area office was completely halted throughout the day, and all officers and employees were stranded outside. Dipka's Chief Medical Officer, Ashok Kumar, tried to pacify the villagers, but they remained adamant on their demands.

On the other hand, in protest of this administration action, the traders of Hardi Bazaar expressed their strong opposition by keeping their establishments completely closed on Saturday, despite it being a weekly market day. MLA Patel also justified the villagers' demands and appealed to the administration to pay attention. Ultimately, after eight hours of fierce protests, the protest ended at 5 pm on the assurance of discussing the demands at Bilaspur headquarters.

The anger of the villagers of these villages erupted

In addition to Hardibazar, villagers from Saraisingar, Ranki, Malgaon, Amgaon, Darshakhancha, and Suabhodi also participated in large numbers in this demonstration. They said that their entire land has been absorbed into the mine, but the management has not provided them with jobs or compensation for housing or settlements. This is why anger is growing.

These are the main demands of the protesters

The protesting villagers demanded that the compensation determination and filing of land acquisition documents be corrected and the appropriate amount be awarded. Arrangements for better rehabilitation and new settlements be made for the displaced families. Affected families should receive permanent employment in exchange for land acquisition, as per the rules, and the rights of the families affected by the approximately 18 hectares of land should be protected.

Villagers clashed with CISF

When villagers, led by MLA Premchand Patel, arrived to surround the GM office, they engaged in a minor altercation and scuffle with CISF personnel and police deployed there. Police attempted to push the villagers aside, but approximately 300 men and women sat on a protest in front of the gate and began shouting slogans against SECL Dipka management.

Action should have been taken after giving information: Patel

Katghora MLA Premchand Patel said that the administration should have taken action only after giving prior notice to the Gram Panchayat. He warned that if the Dipka management does not meet the villagers' legitimate demands, while only the GM office has been locked, the mining operation will be completely shut down in the coming days. The Dipka management will be fully responsible for this.