Bhangar protest casts shadow on Bengal Global Business Summit

Around 10,000 people in Bhangar have been protesting against the construction of the power grid

Three days later West Bengal will try to attract investors at its Global Business Summit, but the protests Bhangar might play spoilsport.

About 40 km from state capital, Kolkata, residents of this village want industry out of their area. In an embarrassment to the state government, supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) have embarked on a major protest to push out a nearly completed Power Grid Corporation of India project.

The protestors are demanding that the state government pulls off the project and returns the land for agricultural use.

“Mamata Banerjee (chief minister of West Bengal) should exemplify what she did in Singur. She should close this project and return the land, making it optimal for agricultural use,” G M Uddin, a leader of the protesters, said.

The protestors alleged that construction of the project began in 2013 under the pretext of a “power plant”. 

“However, we realised that it is a power grid. Despite the state administration assuring us that construction was being stopped when we protested, it went on. Now, we want our land back and won’t allow a power grid in this vicinity,” Uddin said.

The protestors, most of whom are illiterate, reasoned that the power grid will halt development of the area. According to a notice received by them, no construction was allowed within a 1,000-metre range from the transmission posts, which had been decoded by the villagers to imply that they cannot build houses in the area.

The protestors also said a technical expert told them power transmission through the grids would wreck havoc on crop productivity and would render the female population infertile.

On Tuesday, protests to drive out the project and reclaim the farmland for agricultural purposes turned violent. Residents claimed “outsiders”, possibly a TMC faction, camouflaged in police and Rapid Action Force’s uniforms, hurled bombs and opened fire on the protestors. The violence claimed two lives.

“People dressed in police uniforms opened fire. We don’t know if they were outsiders or the police. The deaths reflect the attitude of the administration,” a protestor, who owns farmland in the area, said.

Another protestor said, “The outsiders beat up both men and women in the village. Even children were not spared. In the middle of the night, people in police uniform broke into our houses, beat us up and then forced us out.”

On Tuesday, the situation spiraled out of control. In the resulting violence, at least 40 policemen suffered injuries and eight police vehicles were destroyed by the mob.

Protestors blocking roads claimed 15 people had gone missing since Monday this week and suspected “foul play by the outsiders”. Another set of protestors near the Power Grid plant claimed that as many as 11 people from the village were dragged inside the substation and were untraceable now.

Around 10,000 people in Bhangar have been protesting against construction of the power grid and insist on agriculture to sustain their livelihood.

When Business Standard asked some protestors if they think industrialisation of the area would result in their socio-economic development and increase in income, the agitators said agriculture and pisciculture have been their livelihood since generations and they would not like to part with the tradition. Also, some believe industrialisation of the area will result in them being driven out off their homes.

According to an Union power ministry statement, which has called for cooperation from stakeholders, the 1,000 MVA capacity substation is critical for supply of power in Kolkata and surrounding areas. This substation was being connected to Farakka and Purnea so that it not only receives the power from Thermal Generating Power Stations in Farakka and Sagardighi but also hydro power from North Eastern Hydro Stations.