Villagers stage demonstrations, demand reopening of Parsa East Kete Basen mine
   Date :25-Aug-2022

Parsa East Kete Basen mine 
 
 
 
The Hitavada State Bureau
RAIPUR/SURGUJA, 
Demanding restart of mining activity in Parsa East Kete Basen (PEKB), the locals working in the mines staged a demonstration near Bilaspur-Ambikapur highway in Surguja district on Wednesday.
Fearing job loss, large numbers of villagers hailing from village Parsa, Salhi, Ghatbarra, Fattepur and others jointly staged the agitation at Salhi turn near the highway.
Moreover, the villagers also took out a rally to support their demands and also highlighted their plight before the local MLA and made an appeal from the Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel for disposal of their problems. In a letter to the CM and the local MLA and the state’s health minister T S Singhdeo, the villagers demanded restarting of mining activities in PEKB and to restore their jobs. Notably, the Government of India has allocated coal blocks in Chhattisgarh to other states Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan etc. Three coal blocks Parsa East Kete Basen (PEKB), Parsa and Kete Extension have been allotted in Surguja district for 4400 MW thermal power generation plants of the Government of Rajasthan. Of the three coal blocks, the mining activities are only ongoing in PEKB while the mining permits in the rest two are pending with separate departments of the state government for the last three years. According to villagers, the mining activities in PEKB were being carried out by Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL). In this regard, the government had acquired land and provided local employment in the project against the acquired land. With the shutting of mining activities in PEKB, large numbers of villagers are now directly and indirectly facing employment crisis and difficulties to arrange their livelihood. The company was not just engaged in mining activity, it is actively working on the direction of ensuring operation of a school, ambulance, solar-powered streetlights and providing potable water.