|
Protests erupted in Parsodi Kalan village of Ambikapur over the extension of South Eastern Coalfields Limited's (SECL) Amera coal mine on Wednesday.
Villagers pelted stones at the police, who responded with tear gas. Several police personnel were seriously injured during the clash, officials said. Surguja Upper Collector Sunil Kumar Nayak said that villagers of Parsodi Kalan are protesting against further coal mining at SECL Amera, with some refusing compensation from a 2016 land survey. The unrest has led to stone pelting, causing serious injuries to several police personnel. Speaking to the reporters, Sunil Kumar Nayak said, "Residents of Parsodi Kalan village have gathered at SECL Amera, stating that they will not allow further coal mining. When we spoke with them, we learned that the land survey process was completed in 2016, and some villagers have received their compensation after the survey." "Many villagers are still refusing compensation despite the land survey process and are disrupting coal mining... Stone pelting occurred here, resulting in serious injuries to several police personnel," he said. Meanwhile, the government has taken an important step aimed at speeding up the exploration and operationalisation of coal mines amid the ongoing efforts to strengthen the coal sector and bring India closer to the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, according to an official release by the Ministry of Coal. In exercise of the powers under the second proviso to sub-section (1) of section 4 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, private entities duly accredited by the Quality Council of India - National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (QCI-NABET) have been notified on 26th November 2025, as notified Accredited Prospecting Agencies, the release added. This adds another 18 agencies for carrying out prospecting operations for the exploration of coal and lignite, enabling the coal block allottees to have more flexibility and choice towards engaging these agencies for carrying out the exploration of coal and lignite. Exploration and preparation of a geological report is a prerequisite for the operationalisation of the coal mine. The addition of these exploration agencies will result in a saving of around 6 months' time, which was earlier required for obtaining a prospecting licence by the agency. (ANI)
|
