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Bengal

Birbhum: Tribal leader joins Trinamool

Kolkata: Tribal leader Sunil Soren, who was known to be close to BJP, has joined Trinamool Congress in Birbhum.

This is considered to be a masterstroke by Trinamool Congress Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal when the work of coal excavation at the world's second largest Deocha Pachami coal block in Birbhum district is going to start soon.

According to political experts, Soren joining Trinamool Congress would be of great advantage for the state's rulling party.

Sources said that the joining of Soren in Trinamool Congress comes only after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's announcement of a compensation package for the people at Deocha Pachami.

Soren said: "We had repeatedly asked the state government to come up with a compensation package in a written form. The state government handed over the same to us last Friday. We would take the final decision in this regard

following discussions with all concerned".

It needs a mention that the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on November 9 had announced a rehabilitation package worth Rs 10,000 crore to initiate coal excavation at the world's second largest Deocha Pachami coal block in Birbhum district at the earliest, clearly stating that that there will be no acquisition of land like

that had taken place in Left Regime.

The work will start from the piece of land measuring around 1000 km (at Dewanganj and Harisingha) of

Deocha Pachami that is completely owned by the state government.

The state government would ensure rehabilitation of the people who would give their land for the project.

They will be provided with alternate land, houses, jobs to at least one person from each family and all their rights would be protected.

The Deocha Pachami coal block is spread across 3,400 acres at Mohammad Bazar block of Birbhum district with around 1,198 million tonne coal reserve and 1,400 million tonne cubic basalt deposit. Around 21,000 people (including 3,601 SC and 9,034 ST) people reside in 4,314 houses in 12 villages in the area.

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