The state government could not begin basalt excavation at the proposed Deocha-Pachami coal mine block on Thursday in the wake of protests by some villagers who demanded a resolution to their land-related disputes.

The inability to start excavation on Thursday comes as a setback for the state government as chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced on the dais of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) on Wednesday that work on the proposed coal mine would begin "as early as tomorrow (Thursday)".

On Thursday, possibly unaware of the protests on the ground, Mamata congratulated the people of the area for helping start the work.

Although senior officials claimed that the project's "formal start" was the "bhoomi puja", the failure to start excavation as claimed by the chief minister allowed the Opposition to corner the state government.

"People of the area spontaneously gave their land.... Besides the bhoomi puja, we have mobilised machines (excavators) to the campsite today (Thursday), which is part of the start of the work," said Birbhum district magistrate Bidhan Ray.

A senior official said they were doing their best to begin excavation by Thursday night, as it had now become a prestige issue after Mamata announced work had begun.

He added that the local block land reforms officer was likely to be removed soon in the wake of Thursday's protests.

Going by Mamata's announcement, Ray, police superintendent Amandeep, Rajya Sabha member Samirul Islam and others reached the spot on Thursday afternoon.

Protests began when tribal people and local villagers stopped an excavator near Mathurapahari village.

"We are not against the industry or coal mining. But many people are landless and living on government plots and there are many whose compensation package has not been settled. The government must resolve their issues first," said a villager.

A small group of women also protested during the bhoomi puja.

Officials, led by Ray, held an emergency meeting to address the land-related concerns raised by the group of villagers. Acting on Mamata's instructions, Birbhum Trinamool leader Anubrata Mondal also reached Mohammedbazar to pacify the protesting group.

"We have begun our formal work. There will be no issues, as our chief minister always prioritises Deocha-Pachami's people," said Islam.

The Opposition questioned the project's feasibility and accused the Mamata government of playing hide-and-seek.

Jagannath Chattopadhyay, BJP state general secretary, showed protest videos during a news meet in Calcutta.

"If the project and the start of mining work were so significant, why didn’t Mamata Banerjee go there? Why didn’t she send any of her cabinet ministers, including that particular minister (Chandranath Sinha) from Birbhum? We want to know if the government has the necessary environmental clearance to start the work?" Chattopadhyay asked.

CPM state secretary Md Salim alleged that the entire project of Deocha-Pachami was shrouded in mystery. "There is no transparency," Salim said. "A section of bureaucrats, a part of crony capitalists and some middlemen are trying to usurp land owned mainly by tribal people. Our (state) government is always spreading misinformation and disinformation. Those who will be evicted from there are primarily tribal people. The government can do anything on its land it is not clear why it is doing the project and for whose benefit."

Prasenjit Bose, an economist-activist who has been fighting for the rights of tribal people in Deocha-Pachami, said: "The government should be transparent with local people before doing anything on their land. If the government tries to proceed without a democratic discussion with people, there will be major protests again."