India is going to celebrate 75th year of its freedom. What was the dream of India that Gandhi had wanted to work for? He died, before he could fulfill his dream. A Hindu bigot, whose protagonists are ruling India today, pumped 3 bullets in Gandhi’s frail body. The dream of future India that Gandhi expressed was: “I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice, an India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people, an India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony. There can be no room in such an India for the curse of untouchability or the curse of intoxicating drinks and drugs. Women will enjoy the same rights as men. This is the India of my dreams.” Years back, when in Port Blair in Andaman. I was passing by the cells where our freedom fighters stayed and executed I was remembering the dream of Rabindranath Tagore expressed in the lines: “The world of woes lies ahead/ with utter grief and pain/ This hapless, narrow and dreary impenetrable darkness, Oh! / We crave for food, for life, for light and fresh air,/ For strength, for health and a bright new lease of life.” (translation: Manjish Ray).

Our leaders did not listen to the advices of the above two great savants as to how India has to be developed. Knowing full well that Western paradigm of development is like committing suicide the Congress under the leadership of Nehru took the Western model of industrialization. In his letter to Nehru dated 5th October 1945 Gandhi wrote that Indians “have to live in villages, not in towns, in huts, not in palaces. Crores of people will never be able to live at peace with each other in towns and palaces”. In reply on 9th October Nehru wrote, “It is 38 years since Hind Swaraj was written. The world has completely changed since then, perhaps in a wrong direction.… You are right in saying that the world, or a large part of it, appears to be bent on committing suicide. That may be an inevitable development of an evil seed planted in civilization.” Tagore also got completely disillusioned about the industrial West. In a letter to the poet Amiya Chakrabarti, then teaching in a Western university, he wrote “Using Brahmin’s brain, kshtriya’s arm and shudra’s services today’s commercially minded Europe has become irresistible. But I can see their feet on a downward slope towards extinction.” Tagore’s article in the year of his death in 1941 was “Crisis in Civilization”. The ecologist Fritjof Capra argues that, “The major problems of our time – energy, environment, climate change, food security, financial security – cannot be understood in isolation. They are systemic problems, which means they are all interconnected and interdependent”. That is why Greta Thunberg is demanding “Not Climate Change but System change”.

So, when we celebrate 75th year of our freedom, we find that drinking the poison of the Western paradigm of development about 100 million people, mainly adivasis and villagers, have been ousted from their hearth and home. The present BJP government is demolishing whatever good was done by the Congress government in the past. It is selling of all resources to the corporate world. On the 16th May of 2020 the finance minister of India declared that the Govt. of India has decided to auction 41 coal blocks – 9 blocks each of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, 11 blocks in Madhya Pradesh and 3 in Maharashtra. The Prime Minister of India in the third week of June in 2020 declared on television that the handover of the blocks to the corporates is being done in national Interest. He said that this is a historic step to correct the mistake that has been done in the past. The mistake that the PM was referring to is perhaps the nationalization of coal by the Congress Government. He said that the decision is a great challenge against the laws for conservation enacted by the Congress Government to restrict the coal industry. The PM announced that this is the time for India to become a major exporter of coal and because of this decision has been taken to sell coal in the open market. PM Modi has said that this is an act of Self-Reliance. Taking advantage of Covid pandemic the BJP Government is floating a false story of Self-Reliant India. After nationalization Coal India Limited was formed by the Congress Government. By using false and clever slogans the rich coal resources of India are being handed over to the Indian and foreign corporates by the BJP Government for making profit. In most of the places the coal resources are located in ‘No Go’ areas.

For taking the decision to loot the coal resources the Coal Mines (special provision) Act of 2015 and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957 have been changed, first by introducing an ordinance in 2020 January, and then in March 2020 when Covid pandemic invaded India then Mineral Laws (Amendment) Act was passed in the Parliament. All the prohibitive sections in the laws regarding mining and auctioning in fragile ecological areas were removed so that auctions can be done easily and international capital can make Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). In fact, the Modi Government had given in 2019 itself permission for 100% FDI for production, processing and sale of coal.

From the way the BJP Government, with its entente with the corporate world, took the decision to change the existing restrictive mining laws we can understand the utter unconcern of the Hindutva brigade about the underprivileged people, who have been living in the forested areas for eons, and about the ecology of the areas. The BJP Government has trampled on the security of the indigenous community that was guaranteed by the Fifth Schedule of our Constitution. Such as:

• The Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers recognition of Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006, a very progressive Act introduced by the previous Govt.;
• The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) of 1996
• The Environment Protection Act of 1986 and Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2006;
• Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act.

All the above laws for the under privileged and environment friendly ones were enacted by the Congress Government (though the laws were not properly implemented). The decision to auction coal blocks by the Modi Government goes against the various judgments of the Supreme Court. As for example:

• Samata Vs. State of Andhra Pradesh and others judgment of 11th July 1997 gave power to cooperatives of indigenous people only to mine below their lands.
• The judgment of Orissa Mining Corporation Ltd. vs Ministry of Environment and Forests (Niyamgiri Judgment) of 18th April 2013 maintained the constitutional right given to the Gram Sabhas to take decision whether mining will be allowed in their land.
• In the case of Thressiamma Jacob & others vs Geologist Department of Mining of 4 July 2013 the three judge bench gave the verdict that the owner of the land also owns the resources that are there below their land.
• The case of Manoharlal Sharma vs Principle Secretary & others (Colgate Case) in which the judge bench ordered that coal is a ‘National Property’ which can only be used for common good and for the interest of the people.

When the news of the auction of coal blocks was known then the indigenous communities & the local people of every state started protesting against the auction.

• Twenty Gram Sabhas in the Hasdeo Arand area of Chhattisgarh, who were fighting against coal mining from the year 2015, wrote to the Prime Minister to stop the auction of coal blocks. Hasdeo Arand is the largest forested area of 17000 hectare in Madhya Pradesh. It is the main corridor for the elephants and home for the indigenous Gond community. The Forest Minister of the state wrote to the Central Environment Minister Prokash Javdekar that that no auction of coal blocks should be made of the 1195 sq km of Elephant Conservation area of Hasdeo Arand, Mand River & Lemur. If this is done then the right to life of the indigenous Gond people will be lost and the conflict between the elephants and the people will increase.
• Three organizations of Jharkhand – Jharkhand Adhikar Manch, Jharkhand Nagarik Prayash and Dalit Adibasi Shokti Adhikar Manch have decided to struggle against the decision of the Central Government. The Jharkhand State Government has also instituted a case in the Supreme Court that it will allow auction of the coal blocks only on certain conditions and had appealed to stop the auction for 6 to 9 months so that the development takes place on the basis of social justice and sustainability of nature. In its appeal to the Supreme Court the State Government has said that there is “need for fair assessment of social and environmental impact on the huge tribal population and vast tracts of forest lands which are likely to be adversely affected”. The State Government has also in its appeal mentioned that Land Amendment Act that was passed on 13th March 2020 had stipulated that the auction has to be implemented within 60 days and that time has also expired. So, as per law the auction cannot be done. The State Govt. has also appealed that the unilateral decision of auction of the coal blocks by the Central Government goes against ‘Co-operative Federalism’ granted by the Constitution. It may be mentioned here that Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh Governments have straight way cancelled the auction of coal blocks in their states.
• In Orissa 8 of the 9 blocks fall in Angul district where for the last many years struggle against destructive mining is going on. The Central Pollution Board had declared that the Talcher and the Angul area as ‘Critically Polluted Areas’. These coal blocks are situated in densely populated areas and important Brahmani River is very close to those blocks. If mines are started in those areas then the ecology of the areas will be seriously affected and the people of the area will lose their hearth and home. The river and the canal systems will be destroyed.
• In Maharashtra, 80% of the Bander-Taloda areas where the coal blocks are situated are deeply forested. This is the ecological niche & corridor of the tigers. A study by Coal India Limited also shows that the area is very fragile from ecological point. Because of this, Maharashtra Government has opposed the project of auction of coal blocks in this area.
• In Madhya Pradesh, Gotitora coal block in the district of Narsighpur is located in an area where 80% of the area is forested. Sitareoa River flows through this area. For quite some time the people of Singrauli and Chindwara are fighting for the rehabilitation of the displaced people and against the pollution. The Gram Sabhas of the region have opposed the auction of the coal block.

It is not surprising that the three states having a large indigenous population have opposed auction of coal blocks. In 74 years after Independence more than 100 million people have lost their hearth and home of which 12 million (12%) people are because of coal mining and 70% displaced are indigenous people. Only 25% have been rehabilitated. I have seen the inhuman conditions in which the persons displaced due to Panchet dam are living in Baghmara and Siulibari villages beside the dam. Many years back Medha Patkar requested me to inquire in DVC headquarter in Kolkata as to how many people were displaced due to DVC dams. I worked for 3 days in the library of DVC to make an inquiry. In the first Annual Report of DVC there is information about the inauguration of Panchet Dam. Jawaharlal Nehru came to inaugurate the opening. He got the dam inaugurated by Budhni Sabar, whose family was displaced by the dam. The Minister accompanying Nehru in his speech said that the people of the villages that will be displaced due to Panchet Dam will have great development due to the dam. I remembered my experience of those displaced by the dam living in Baghmara and Siulibari.

Prime Minister Modi has floated the dream of development by taking up the coal project. He has claimed that opening the coal blocks to the corporates will create more than 2.8 lakh jobs, attract capital investment worth Rs 33,000 crore and generate annual revenue of Rs 20,000 crore for the state governments. But the adverse social and ecological impact will be tremendous. Where all over the world countries are trying to reduce fossil fuel use it is only China and India that are increasing the use of fossil fuels without considering the impact it is making on environment. Lakhs of people will lose their life and livelihood at the altar of development. In 1992, two scientists appointed by the World Bank reported the Environmental Degradation Cost (EDC) of India. The Down to Earth magazine published by the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) brought out this Report. It was found that the environmental degradation cost of India is Rs 34,000 crore per year which was 4.5% of the then GDP of India. CSE made further studies about the EDC and found that the Report did not consider all aspects of EDC. If all aspects of the EDC are included, then CSE estimated that EDC of India will be between Rs 50–70,000 crore, which is equal to 7–9% of GDP of India. So, if even if our GDP increases by 4 to 5% due to coal mining, it actually goes down by much more than this due to EDC. It is happening because of the gluttonous consumerist lifestyle of 25 crore rich and the upper middle class of India. We do not understand the danger that the earth is facing today. But our future generation will face a very difficult situation.

The coal blocks are situated ecologically in very fragile regions. At present India is producing energy more than our need. Coal India Limited in its Vision 2030 and Central Electrical Authority are informing us that in the coming ten years we do not need any new coal mines. Despite this situation, the dream magician Narendra Modi would like to hand over the resources of our country to the corporates. Our country needs coal for the production of cement, steel, fertilizer etc. So, it is utterly irresponsible to export our valuable natural resource like coal. Moreover coal is available in our country outside such ecologically fragile regions where the indigenous people live.

Besides, many Western countries are reducing use of fossil fuels for energy production. In fact, European Union has decided to bring down fossil fuel use to zero by 2050. Solar & wind energy production is increasing in a big way in the world. So, there will be very little opportunity to export coal to foreign countries. World is understanding today the danger of global warming and climate change that is happening due to the use of fossil fuels. Scientists are saying that the thermohaline circulation that is maintained by the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic has been slowing down during the last 150 years. This circulation maintains the temperature balance of the earth. In the August–September of 2018 UN Secretary General has said, “We face existential threat. Climate change is moving faster. If we do not change our course by 2030 we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences.” I got a mail that shows that in the Italian Alps a glacier is been covered by tarpaulin so that solar radiation does not melt the ice. Below the permafrost of Arctic and Greenland if the ice melts then methane that is deposited below the ice cover will be released. Methane is 28 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. It will increase the rate of global warming. 25% of carbon dioxide generated by man is absorbed by the ocean. Because of global warming the carbon dioxide in ocean water will be released and that will increase the heating of the earth. A feedback loop will be created. It means more the greenhouse gas is released, more the heating. Yet, China and India are going on increasing their fossil fuel use to develop energy for running towards the mirage of false development. Sometime back scientists from Stanford, Berkeley and Princeton have announced that if business as usual goes on then Sixth Mass Extinction will happen and humans will be the first species to become extinct.

The day Narendra Modi declared the decision to auction the coal blocks, the next day the central Earth Science Ministry informed that between 1901 and 2018 the average temperature of earth has increased by 0.7 degree Celsius and by the end of the century the temperature will increase by 4.4 degree Celsius. When the feedback loop starts the temperature cannot be controlled. Global warming and climate change will bring the earth towards destruction. So the demand is being raised that keep all the fossil fuel below the earth.

The Jharkhand Govt. has not outright opposed the proposal of the Central Govt. like the Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra have done. From the appeal of the Jharkhand Govt. it seems if its conditions are agreed then auction can be done. The Jharkhand Govt. is not demanding that the coal blocks in Jharkhand should be kept underground to protect the rights of the indigenous people and nature. The Central Govt. is offering a dream of Rs 2,500 crore revenue for the Jharkhand Govt. and creation of employment for 50,000 people. The Govt. is not considering that for modern industry the need of local workers is very little, compared to the destruction of local environment and loss of life and livelihood of the indigenous people.

We have to organize a movement against this corporate friendly BJP Govt. for handing over our national wealth by auctioning of the 41 coal blocks to the private corporates. We have to remember that this ultra-rightist Hindutvavadi BJP is planning to abolish whatever welfare actions the earlier Congress Government had taken and hand over our agriculture, coal, education, health, railways and many other sectors to Indian and foreign corporates in the name developing India. They are putting important writers, civil right activists, journalists into jail on false sedition charges. We have just witnessed the inhuman and tragic death of Fr. Stan Swamy in jail custody. To achieve its object of corporatization of the economy BJP Govt. is changing all the progressive laws that the Congress Govt. had introduced in the fields of electricity, labour, environment, forest rights, and self-rule; various other pro-people laws are also either being relaxed or rescinded.

Today, it is necessary that the working class, farmers, lower middle class and all those who are against the BJP, including the anti-BJP political parties, unite to remove this fascist-like party BJP of the Sangha Parivar from power. But, while uniting to do so, we must remember the slogan of the 16-year-old Swedish girl, ‘Not climate change but system change’. We have to struggle for an alternative paradigm of development.

[Note: Information on the coal block auction in the article has been taken from a Statement issued by the National Alliance of Peoples Movement (NAPM) on the issue.]

(Samar Bagchi is former Director, Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, Kolkata. He is famed as a people’s scientist.)