Bengal: Tribal Defiance Against Mamata Banerjee Mounts in Deocha-Pachami

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is being accused of attempting to bulldoze centuries of tribal heritage, displace thousands of indigenous families, and destroy pristine forests — all for a mega coal mining project in Deocha-Pachami. There have been widespread protests opposing the project, but in vain.

NewsClick spoke with Partha Sarathi Bhattacharya, former Chairman- cum-Managing Director of public sector Coal India Ltd. (CIL), for some insights into the project. A veteran in the field, Bhattacharya said the soil that needed to be excavated for making the mine was extremely hard. He said CIL did not have the requisite machinery to bore in those conditions.

After Coal India surrendered the block, it was reallocated to West Bengal.

“This mine is extremely difficult and the coal reserves are far beneath the topsoil, making mining in a viable way a challenge. There are three 150-meter seams in the coal,” he said.

Regarding gasification of the coal project, he said all coal blocks can be gasified, but the coal which has high ash content is not cost- effective for gasification.

However, tribal villagers, armed with nothing but conviction and courage, are refusing to cow down. Voices like Nilima Mardy and Sonali Tudu have become symbols of resistance, standing tall against a government that has long ignored them — until now, when their land has become lucrative.

These tribal communities have already made their decision clear in the gram sabha: “NO to coal mines, NO to displacement, and NO to TMC’s development-for-profit agenda.” They have even sworn in the name of Dhatoom-Kutushi (hammer and sickle) to protect their sacred “jal, jangal, zameen” (water, forest, land), according to various local sources.

TMC Playbook: ‘Bribe the Poor, Loot the Land’

For years, the villages of Pachami — especially areas like Buritala — have been deprived of basic amenities. No roads. No schools. No clean water. The TMC government didn’t do much for development when these people were struggling to survive. But now, with coal reserves beneath their land, the State machinery is suddenly offering people drinking water projects and distributing clothes in an open attempt to bribe consent, allege villagers. They said they have refused the offers. Every single one of them.

Not one person among the 1,076 voters in Buritala has taken the government's "largesse," they said, adding that the “people — poor, neglected, but proud — refused to be bought.”

From Neglect to Exploitation

There is a widespread feeling in the area that the Mamata Banerjee government never cared for these areas. The Pachami Hills, located about 230 km from Kolkata, remains inaccessible due to the absence of even basic roads. “Yet the same government is now desperate to send in bulldozers and mining machines to rip apart land made of hard basalt rock — all to extract coal while displacing thousands of people who have lived there for generations,” say angry locals.

Where was TMC when these villages needed schools, hospitals, and drinking water? they ask.

People's Resistance

Leading the charge is Nilima Mardy, a 48-year-old tribal woman from Buritala village, who was a CPI(M) candidate in the Pachami Zilla Parishad seat. Her leadership symbolises the growing anger among the people, who are turning not just to resistance, but to political action to throw out a government that “betrayed them”.

“We don’t want jobs in exchange for our lands. We want to stay where we belong,” says Mardy.

This is a war cry — not just against a coal mine, but against a corrupt, insensitive regime that has chosen profit over people time and again, she adds.

The Deocha‑Pachami Mega Coal Project

The Deocha‑Pachami coal block—India's largest and the world’s second-largest—sits beneath the basalt‑covered hills of Birbhum, West Bengal. It boasts reserves of around 1,200 million tonnes of coal and up to 1,400 million cubic meters of basalt, spread across 12 sq km (nearly 3,400 acres).

The TMC‑led West Bengal government is aggressively pushing for this project, promising ₹35,000 crore in investment, claiming it will generate about 100,000 jobs, and pledging compensation for the impacted families.

But on the ground, this "opportunity" is wreaking havoc: 4,314 families totalling roughly 21,000 people, predominantly Santhals and Scheduled Castes, are bracing for displacement. It is feared that the wider project will affect 70,000 nearby residents, distributed over 11 villages and 53 hamlets.

Deocha‑Pachami presents two major challenges: the extensive basalt overburden—which can reach up to 245 meters—and the project’s sheer scale, combining open‑cast mining (70%), underground mining (40%), and experimental gasification (30%) But even technical adaptations like underground mining and advanced transplanting of trees have failed to appease local sentiment.

Tribal Resistance: Gram Sabha to Grassroots

In remote hamlets like Buritala, tribal activists Mardy and Tudu have emerged as heroic defenders of tribal rights. They’ve made their stance clear: tribal communities will “stay on their ancestral land till the end.” Their appeal in the gram sabha was unequivocal—no coal mines under any condition—followed by symbolic oaths taken in the tribal language.

Mardy says these communities do not want jobs or infrastructure in exchange for their lands— all they want is, “to stay where we belong.” When officials tried distributing clothing and launching drinking‑water projects, the villagers rejected them outright.

This resistance movement isn’t merely about displacement—it’s an ideological and cultural assertion, blending tribal identity with political resistance. From ceremonial tree worship to ritual use of “charkha sticks” to halt mining operations, the communities are signalling that they won’t be swayed by any token scheme.

TMC’s Strategy: Incentives, Infrastructure, and Impunity

The TMC government has been accused of making “token green promises” while letting loose bulldozers on tribal land.

For instance, under the tree translocation project, the government relocated 980 trees from 376 acres to nearby land for ₹15 crore—celebrated by TMC as "respecting tribal traditions." But villagers widely see this as “window-dressing.”

Promises have been made of no forced eviction, with claims that only 326 acres are being disturbed initially, mostly barren government land.

Alternative mining strategies—like underground mining and coal gasification—are being projected, yet these overshadow the harassment being faced by protesters, slapping of false criminal charges, and heavy police presence-- all pointing at an “anti-people” approach.

For decades, villages like Pachami remained off the development map, but just as mining is set to begin, the state government springs into action with water projects, clothes distribution, and schools. But Mardy and her community see this for what it is: a “calculated bribe to coerce consent.”

Despite repeated assurances, villagers fear they are being kept in the dark. Project details—like detailed project reports, environmental impact studies, and rehabilitation plans—have not been made public. Many families also lack clear land titles, making them vulnerable to forced acquisition without compensation.

The Opposition CPI(M) and the Bharatiya Janata Party have echoed these concerns.

Displacement vs. Development

There are numbers that don’t add up, say critics.

The project threatens to displace 21,000 people, majority from tribal and Scheduled Caste communities, across multiple villages and hamlets. And while the government claims voluntary land surrender by 1,600 of 4,300 families, the villagers claim the figure is inflated and based on false compensation and “shady land record practices.”

Also, the communities feel that the job promises are vague: of the 7,000 claimed beneficiaries, only 1,600 have been employed so far, mostly in low-tier, non-local roles. Many remain unpaid or uncertified.

As regards geological and environmental fragility, the basalt overburden, reportedly up to 245 meters, presents serious technical and ecological risks, as per experts, who caution it may lead to water-table disruption and long-term instability.

Environmentalists also warn of biodiversity loss, groundwater depletion, and forced deforestation in a region already prone to climate stress.

They also point to underground coal gasification (planned for 30% of reserves), which “remains experimental in India and untested under these conditions.”

It is being alleged that while the gram sabha and traditional tribal self-governance are being sidestepped, the TMC is resorting to rapid measures, such as issuing orders, mobilising police, and setting land acquisition deadlines, all without “genuine consent”. This echoes the Singur and Nandigram agitations prior to 2011.

The Left’s Return?

Mardy’s emergence as a CPI(M) leader of the Deocha-Pachami coal project resistance movement is being seen as an indication of reclamation of Left-wing support in tribal belts left ignored by TMC. With roots in coordinated resistance through bodies like the Birbhum Save Land and Environment Protection Organisation, these tribal communities are now politicising their struggle.

Environmental Morality vs. Profit

At a time when the world is moving away from coal, and environmental justice demands halting large-scale fossil fuel projects, the Deocha‑Pachami mine is a picture of “corporate greed”, say critics.

The TMC’s framing of this project as a ‘sustainable development model’, couched in greenwashing via gasification and tree planting, shatters the narrative of “concent”, as tribal voices, environmental experts and civil society stand united in rejection of the project.

 Strengthening Tribal Voices

The tribal communities are no longer passive victims, they are mobilising, and have become vocal and political. They are insisting on public availability of project details—including land surveys, environmental clearance files, rehabilitation plans, and DPRs.

Environmentalists believe that rather than risking a large coal mine, investments should be diverted to renewable energy, rural infrastructure, and tribal‑centric livelihoods. West Bengal already boasts significant solar, wind, biomass, and exploratory hydrogen potential. Contextual, small-scale development respecting local ecology and tribal rights will serve both justice and growth, they opine.

The CPI(M), Left‑leaning parties and tribal rights organisations have also suggested an alternative path—one focused on justice, transparency, and dignity.

What Deocha‑Pachami Reveals About TMC Rule

Deocha‑Pachami isn’t a story of needed industrial growth—it’s a portrait of a government putting profit over people, say critics. The TMC’s attempts at greenwashing gloss over a fundamental truth: tribal land is non‑negotiable.

As activists like Mardy boldly stand against displacement, it has become this is not just a coal fight, it’s a fight for the future of democracy, environmental sanity, and tribal survival in West Bengal.

If TMC wants to claim moral leadership, it must withdraw this project, ensure full and fair participation of tribal communities, make public all relevant documents, and invest in sustainable alternatives that truly serve the people.