- Residents of villages in the Amrapali Coal Project area protest against the Fake Gram Sabha in Tandwa, Jharkhand.
- The villagers demanded legal action against intermediaries involved in Fake signatures and fraudulent activities.
- Villagers have announced a boycott of the 15th village meeting scheduled for 5th March, 2025, demanded justice and the cancellation of the land acquisition orders.
In the Amrapali Coal Project, located in the largest coal mining region of Asia in the Tandwa block, the issue of fake practices continues to escalate. In 2023, a Gram Sabha (Villager’s Meeting) was supposed to be held in the seven villages, including Serendag, for the construction of a railway siding as per the official correspondence from the local office in Tandwa. However, in the case of Serendag, a fake register for the village council meeting was created, with forged signatures of the villagers, including the elected head of the Panchayat, Mrs. Sarita Devi, and the head of the Forest Rights Committee.
The villagers demanded a proper investigation and legal action, but no such actions have been taken yet. This has led to growing resentment among the villagers. The villagers had also raised a demand for legal action against the intermediaries involved in these fraudulent activities. Instead of addressing the issue, the authorities attempted to obtain a no-objection letter for the 14th time, which the villagers strongly opposed by boycotting it.
Recently, the local office issued a letter postponing today’s village council meeting due to unavoidable circumstances and rescheduled it for 5th March, 2025. To discuss future strategies, the villagers convened a “Mahapanchayat” meeting, where they unanimously decided to boycott the 15th village meeting as well.
Villagers’ Demands
The villagers have made it clear that the agreement signed on 10th December, 2024, under the chairmanship of the Additional Collector, should first be implemented. Only after that should the letter for the village council meeting be issued. However, the local office has been repeatedly issuing the letters for the meetings without resolving the issues, which has led to strong opposition and boycotts by the villagers.
The villagers also clarified that they are not against development or the railway line. They demand legal action against all individuals involved in the fraudulent activities and a review of the excessive land acquisition under Section 9 for the railway line. They also want the unnecessary land to be removed from Section 9 and proper assessment of only the essential land required for the railway line.
Furthermore, approximately 400 households in Serendag village have been affected by Section 9, which will lead to forced displacement. Therefore, the villagers are requesting the removal of Section 9 from their homes.
Villagers will Boycott of 15th Village Meeting
The villagers have made a collective decision to boycott the 15th village meeting, scheduled for 5th March, 2025. They have raised their voice that they will not support the meeting until their demands, including the removal of Section 9 from unnecessary lands and homes, are addressed. Today’s meeting involved a foot march throughout the village, followed by a gathering where hundreds of men and women expressed their support for the protest and the movement.
