Vishthapit Vahini supporters (top and above) demonstrate outside UCIL’s Turamdih mines on Wednesday. (Srinivas)

Jamshedpur, Oct. 20: Simmering anger over land acquisition for Uranium Corporation of India Limited’s (UCIL) Turamdih mines expansion plan spilled onto the streets this morning, with an irate village mob dismantling a podium and blocking the approach road to scuttle a Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) public hearing on the project.

The UCIL requires a no-objection certificate from state pollution control authorities to expand its mining capacity at Turamdih from the current 3,000 metric tonnes to 4,500 metric tonnes. The public hearing is a mandatory step to that effect.

According to sources, the public sector enterprise requires 41.77 acres at Nandup village, adjoining Turamdih, in Sundernagar to give shape to its expansion dream. But villagers claimed that they were kept in the dark about land requirement and were not notified about the public hearing.

Around 11am, led by activists of Vishthapit Vahini, an outfit that opposes displacement for industrial projects, villagers pulled down the podium where pollution control board officials were to hold the hearing at 2pm. They also blocked the road leading to the venue outside Turamdih mines premises.

Several senior officials of UCIL and JSPCB, who had turned up for the hearing, were forced to go back.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Vishthapit Vahini president Ram Soren said the villagers were angry because the UCIL management tried to cheat on them on the land issue.

“When the company said it would increase its mining capacity, it did not mention anything about land. Neither were villagers informed about the public hearing,” Soren said.

He claimed the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner’s office just issued a letter a fortnight ago, saying that the UCIL would acquire 41.77 acres in Nandup.

“If the company’s intentions were fair, the JSPCB should have resorted to a public address system to make people aware of the hearing. Instead, it just published an inconspicuous notice in some local dailies. This is not done,” said Soren.

The leader claimed that a large number of tribals had been displaced when the Turamdih mines started five years ago and that villagers would never again part with their ancestral land for the project.

The UCIL, which needs 41.77 acres in Nandup, already has mining sites in Bagjata, Mohuldih, Banduhurang, Narwah and Jadugora.

JSPCB’s regional officer R.N. Chowdhury admitted that they could not hold the public hearing on UCIL’s Turamdih mining project following strong protests.

“Currently, 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium ore is mined at Turamdih. The UCIL wants to increase the capacity to 4,500 metric tonnes per day. As per norms, it has to obtain environment clearance from the JSPCB,” he said.

Chowdhury claimed that the pollution board had taken necessary steps to inform villagers about the hearing. He said the JSPCB had notified about the programme well in advance, but remained tightlipped on whether they had used a public address system, which is the normal practice prior to such a programme.

Officials of UCIL were not available for comment.