[ Samshum Changmi ]
KHARSANG, 17 Feb: Thousands of indigenous residents from Longtom-I & II, Panchun, and Injan in Kharsang on Monday staged a protest rally against the ongoing auction of the Namchik east and west coal mining projects in Changlang district.
The rally, organised by the Injan, Panchun, Longtom-I, and Longtom-II Committee (IPLLC), culminated with submission of a memorandum to the chief minister through the Miao ADC, demanding immediate halt to the auction process.
The protesters raised concern over the adverse impact of open-cast coal mining on the indigenous Tangsa communities residing in these villages. They said that the project would displace approximately 3,000 indigenous residents across 500 households.
Citing the risk of forced displacement, they urged the state government to cancel the auction and revoke large-scale mining plans in ecologically sensitive areas while recognising and protecting indigenous land and forest rights.
During media interviews, the IPLLC accused the government of conducting the auction process without proper consultation or obtaining prior consent from the affected communities, in violation of established norms. They further alleged that the Union Coal Ministry misrepresented data by failing to account for the actual number of affected households within the designated coal blocks.
“The proposed open-cast coal mining project, covering approximately 600.07 hectares, is expected to directly impact thousands of residents. We fear this project will not only displace communities but also alter the region’s demographic and ecological balance in the long run,” said IPLLC president Semkhum Tonglim.
He further emphasised that Longtom-I and II, established before independence, fall under unclassed state forest and are home to over 160 households with a population exceeding 1,000. He argued that these villages have sustained themselves through traditional agriculture and forestry for generations,and that the proposed mining project would forcibly displace them, violating constitutional rights, the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
The IPLLC vowed to continue opposing the project, highlighting its potential ecological and social impact. It urged the government to reconsider the auction and engage with the affected communities before proceeding further.
The proposed Namchik east and Namchik west coal blocks are currently under auction, with the final bid scheduled for 3 March. These coal blocks, which are an extension of the Namchik-Namphuk coalfield, contain an estimated 45.802 million tonnes of coal reserves across 600 hectares.
The technical bid for the auction was opened on 3 February this year.