RAIPUR: Disregarding their own earlier assurance, Adani Enterprises has registered a first information report (FIR) against tribal people who are opposing the company’s efforts to carry out coal mining in their area.
The FIR, lodged by Ritesh Gautam, Adani’s general manager (land acquisition), sought a probe into the villagers’ agitation which, the complaint claimed, has “affected coal transportation and led to financial loss”.
The villagers had held a demonstration on May 27 and blocked a road that affected transportation of coal for over six hours. The district administration led by the local sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) then convened a meeting between the Adani officials and the agitating villagers to broker peace.
The villagers said the company promised to get back with a response to their grievances on June 3. “How can the FIR be fair? We withdrew the demonstration following the company’s promise to look into our grievances,” the villagers said in a plea to the SDM with a request to act against the FIR.
When contacted, Ritesh Gautam refused to comment. “We are not authorised to speak to the media,” he said.
The Adani group company is attempting to mine coal in the area, having bagged a subcontract for the Parsa East-Kante Basin coal block from the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Nigam Limited, the contractor engaged by the Ambikapur district administration in north Chhattisgarh.
As per the agreement, Adani Enterprises will work as mine developer-cum-operator through its subsidiary Adani Mining.