Why people of Bohardih, Masturi, and Bilaspur protesting against ACC Cement plant?

A violent riot ended a public hearing on ACC's plans to establish a new integrated cement plant in Masturi, Chhattisgarh, on November 3, 2022. Police reportedly used "light force" to subdue protesters who claimed that ACC had acted illegally.

The Free Press Journal has reported that the land listed by the ACC as 'arid' in the filings is allegedly used by residents to grow rice and other crops.

The management of the company submitted false documents to carry out mining and plant establishment in the area, showing the area as barren land, but in reality, the farmers have been growing rice and other crops on their fields for years, Premchand Jaishi, a congress leader, argued.

Actually, a plant of ACC Cement Plant is to be set up in the village of Loharsi Son under Masturi. More than 10 nearby villages are being affected by this. These include Bohardih, Godadih, Tangar, Loharsi, Godadih, and Bhurkunda. Villagers are fiercely opposing this cement plant. At the same time, the villagers created a ruckus in the public hearing of the cement plant. Angered by this plan, the villagers vandalized the public hearing fiercely.

People started vandalizing here even before the hearing started. At the same time, seeing the angry villagers, the ADM fled from the spot. Senior officers including a large number of police forces, including the SDM, were deployed in the public hearing. Despite this, the tension could not be brought under control on the spot.

Locals complained that the dispute with the villagers started in 2019, when the company's operations were in their infancy. Without attending to the adequate demands of those affected, the management of the plant began mining and other procedures, which infuriated the villagers.

However, about the interruption of the public hearing, the clashes and the lathi-charge, RA Kurvanshi and ADM Bilaspur made a statement in the media and said that the public hearing was held in the village of Loharsi for the establishment of the ACC cement plant, but seeing the public opinion anger, the audience stalled.

Read More

• Climate change poses ‘serious risks’ to mental health
• How is mental health related to climate change?
• Mental Health: 24×7 accepting hatred and negativity, How’s that gonna work?
• Prioritising Women’s mental health
• What are the 5 signs of mental illness?

Follow Ground Report for Climate Change and Under-Reported issues in India. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Koo App, Instagram, Whatsapp and YouTube. Write us on [email protected]