CPI(M) Alleges Ties to Abhishek Banerjee, Massive Corruption in Deocha-Pachami Coal Project

Bankura: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded a judicial inquiry into the controversial Deocha-Pachami coal mining project in Birbhum district of West Bengal. At a press conference held on July 3 at the party’s state headquarters on Alimuddin Street, CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim alleged large-scale corruption, environmental violations, and illegal tender procedures, accusing both the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led state government and the BJP-led Union government of complicity.

Salim presented evidence alleging that the state government secured environmental clearance for the project fraudulently. He claimed the union environment ministry had granted clearance for a mere 12 acres, despite the project's actual size being over 431 hectares, which would necessitate a mandatory public hearing and full environmental scrutiny as a Category A project.

“This environmental certificate is practically fraudulent and was given under the auspices of the BJP-led Union government. Both the Centre and the state are responsible,”alleged Salim.

The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) awarded the mining contract in March 2024 to Trancemarine & Confreight Logistics Pvt Ltd, a Mumbai-based firm with no prior mining experience, at a 71.05% revenue share. In April, 2025 Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd, a Kolkata-based firm, acquired 60% of Trancemarine for a mere Rs 4.23 crore. Himadri also issued a Rs 150 crore loan to Sturdy Niketan, an obscure entity with no turnover, allegedly for royalty payments. According to a company release, Trancemarine’s annual turnover for FY23-24 was Rs 35.69 crore, a sharp drop from Rs 90.25 crore in FY21-22, much higher than what Himadri is paying for its acquisition.

“Once someone is given a tender, it cannot be passed to someone else. This is a direct violation of WBPDCL policy. Sturdy Niketan, which has zero income, is being used as a front for illicit financial flows,” Salim claimed.

Interestingly, Himadri Chemicals, now central to the project, had earlier invested in Tidings Media & Communication Pvt Ltd, which acquired the Bengali daily Ei Samay from the Times Group. One of Tidings’ major stakeholders is Sanjay Basu, known to be a legal advisor and close confidante of both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, the Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee.

In February 2025, CM Banerjee claimed at the Bengal Global Business Summit that coal mining had begun at Deucha-Pachami and promised over one lakh jobs. However, CPI(M) pointed out that WBPDCL has not even submitted the required geological report or mining plan to the Union coal ministry, 66 months after the coal block was allotted in 2019.The overall project, including basalt mining, is expected to generate over Rs 1,500 crore in profits, raising serious questions about insider profiteering.

“Where is the coal?  It was said that above 100,000 people would be employed, where is employment?  The fact is that stones will be extracted from that land,” Salim said.

Documents indicate that the coal mining lease process remains incomplete, and no private company applied to mine the block even after two deadline extensions in 2025. In November 2023, the state government authorised WBPDCL to mine basalt on 431.47 acres, with an estimated profit of Rs 5,600 crore. In June 2024, Pachami Basalt Mining PrivateLimited was incorporated in Kolkata. Neither Sturdy Niketan nor Pachami Basalt Mining Private Limited has an official website, and their corporate listing links to trancemarine.com.

Basalt mining began in Deucha-Pachami site in February this year, but locals demanded a permanent halt, citing severe environmental and health hazards and alleging that forest land was cleared without informing the resident tribal communities.

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