Essar faces court action over CBM drilling

Durgapur-based activist Subroto Pal is preparing to approach the Calcutta High Court in his unrelenting battle with the DGH for failing to act on allegations that Essar has drilled outside its Raniganj East CBM block boundary.

Speaking to this report, Pal stressed: "I am not going to sit quietly. I will not only write to the CIC (Central Information Commission), I am also filing a PIL (Public Interest Litigation)."

Pal stresses his demand for a report from the DGH under the Right to Information Act, 2005 has still not been met. "I haven't received it yet," he admits.

Pal adds DGH advisor and appellate authority Anurag Gupta called him end-February after receiving his letter in January 2019. "Gupta told me he will respond," adds Pal.

"But even he hasn’t written back." In November (2018) Pal wrote to Gupta demanding the copy of a DGH fact-finding report prepared after advisor Sandip Kumar Roy visited Raniganj East or RG (E) CBM-2001/1 to verify his allegations.

In September (2018) Pal sent the DGH a Google map with coordinates of development wells he alleges Essar drilled outside the block boundary. Essar denies the allegations.