Coal dumping row: Tribal delegation visits Malu, voices displacement & environmental concerns

Dibrugarh: A coalition of indigenous tribal organisations from the northeast conducted a spot visit to Malu village in Tinsukia district on Thursday to assess the growing tensions over North Eastern Coalfields' (NEC) proposed coal dumping ground that has sparked widespread local opposition.

The proposed site has evoked fierce opposition from locals across four villages — Malu, Mulong, Jharna Basti, and China Basti — home to over 1,500 residents who fear displacement and ecological damage.

The Margherita-Ledo coal belt, where NEC — a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL) — operates six collieries, has long been a hub of mining activity. However, the planned coal dumping facility has heightened anxieties among villagers, who argue that it will worsen pollution, destroy fertile farmland and threaten water sources and wildlife. The region, rich in biodiversity, is home to diverse communities, including Tangsa, Gorkha, Assamese, Hindi-speaking, Bengali, Muslim, Manipuri, and Adivasi populations, many of whom have lived there since the villages were established between 1947 and 1952.

During their visit, the tribal leaders expressed grave concerns over the project's potential impact. The high-profile delegation included several prominent leaders including Anup Arandhara, secretary general of Indigenous Peoples of Moung-Dun-Chun-Kham, Assam, Marcos Basumatary, president of United Tribal Organisation, Assam, Khehoto Kihu, vice president of North East Indigenous Peoples Forum, Milan Sonwal, president of Tribal Peoples Confederation, Assam, Rabindra Rangpi, general secretary of Coordination Committee for Protection of Autonomy, Kharsing Teron, president of Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State, and Pallav Shyam Wailung, general secretary of Tirap Autonomous District Demand Committee.

"The coal dumping ground should not be built here. It will displace people, destroy flora and fauna, and render fertile land unfit for farming. The area is the lifeline of multiple communities. Dumping coal there would mean poisoning the water, air, and soil, endangering future generations. We have already seen how coal mining has polluted our land and rivers and reduced agricultural yield. Adding a dumping site will only accelerate the destruction. NEC must seek an uninhabited site far from human settlements," said Arandhara.

The delegation urged NEC and the govt to explore alternative locations for the dumping ground and to conduct thorough environmental and social impact assessments.

"The govt must prioritise sustainable development that does not come at the cost of indigenous livelihoods. The affected communities were not properly informed or consulted. This violates their rights under environmental and tribal protection laws," Wailung said.