The Dipka Mines, owned by South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), is the thirdlargest coal mine in the country. It spreads over 1,999 hectares of land across 10 villages, namely Dipka, Chainpur, Beltikri, Jhingatpur, Jhabar, Sirki, Renki, Suvabhondi, Ratiza and Malgaon, in Korba district. According to a 2019 company report, the project has affected at least 1,690 families. Those displaced continue to demand rehabilitation, fair compensation and employment opportunities. Land acquisition for the project was completed in phases between 1986 and 2004. Since then, SECL has applied multiple times to expand the mining area and its capacity. However, reportedly, only some of the affected families have been resettled and compensated for the land they gave up. The village residents have time and again voiced their concerns about the polluting and destructive impact of the mining activities on the land and water sources. Amongst other issues, they claim that mining is turning the land uncultivable. However, in Korba district, Dipka is only one of the many mines responsible for polluting the environment. In March 2016, the villagers affected by the Dipka Mines came together with the projectaffected people from Gevra and Kusmunda mining projects to protest against the management of SECL. They raised their concerns with the support of local political outfits and activists. In a meeting, they decided against giving up their lands for the mine expansion and planned to submit their concerns to the district collector, reported a newspaper. In January 2017, the affected villagers launched fresh protests to stop blastingrelated work in different areas of the mining site. In June, the protesters appealed to the administration to shut down the mine if it was unable to meet the demands for rehabilitation, compensation and employment. In the same year, SELC submitted a proposal to expand the capacity of the mines from 31 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) to 35 MTPA to meet national demands. In February 2018, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change granted the environmental clearance to the project. However, an environmental activist, Laxmi Chouhan, challenged the decision in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for being illegal, improper and irregular". In September 2019, Dipka Mine was flooded after the Lilagar river changed course. The mine was temporarily submerged, which triggered questions over the condition of the mines as a potential hazard zone. According to a 2019 news report, the environmental concerns of the project are glaring. It restated that the coal dust is worsening the air quality in the area and severely polluting the river water. The activists have also underlined the impact of ongoing mining activities on the regions topography. In March 2019, the NGT directed the Central Pollution Control Board to act upon the problem of pollution resulting from poor transportation for mining activities. In June, the Chhattisgarh high court dismissed a petition filed against the SELC by the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board. In January 2020, the affected people submitted a letter to the environment ministry to highlight the socioenvironmental degradation caused by mining and requested the ministry to not grant an extension to the mine. Despite this, the ministry approved an extension of 30 years in March while failing to account for many of the concerns raised. Later that year, in one of the villages, the protesters took out a rally to the office of the SELCs general manager to protest against the pollution. They also pointed towards the poor condition of the roads. The police and administration had to intervene after some protesters locked the general manager in his office. On August 7, 2020, during the NGT hearing, the appellant argued against the expansion of the mine and demanded withdrawal of the environmental clearance to the project. In May 2021, a newspaper reported that the expansion work for the mine was still ongoing. Meanwhile, the villagers could not register their opposition due to restrictions imposed by the COVID19 pandemic lockdown. Currently, SECL has applied to further increase the capacity of the mines to 40 MTPA.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Opposition against environmental degradation
Refusal to give up land for the project
Complaint against procedural violations
Demand for employment
Demand for rehabilitation
Demand for compensation
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Both
Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
1950.86
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Environmental Laws, Other, Land Acquisition Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-implementation/violation of LARR Act
Violation of environmental laws
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Non-rehabilitation of displaced people
Delay in compensation
Violation of free prior informed consent
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Yes
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
High Court of Chhattisgarh
Case Number
CRL.M. 515/2011 & Appeal No. 08/2019 (CZ)
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Directorate of Geology and Mining
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
South Eastern Coalfields Limited
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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