Nagpur: Padma Shri awardee and President of Sahayogi Jan Kalyan Samiti, Shamshad Begum, has written to the President of India alleging serious irregularities during the environmental public hearing conducted for the proposed Dahegaon-Gowari underground coal mining project in Walni village, Nagpur district. The project is being undertaken by Ambuja Cement Limited under the supervision of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
In her letter, Shamshad Begum pointed out that the public hearing, held on September 10, 2025, in Walni village, was marred by violations of prescribed norms. She alleged that several local political leaders occupied the dais meant exclusively for officials and delivered speeches during the proceedings, while the Resident Deputy Collector and senior MPCB officials remained silent spectators and failed to stop them.
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23 Oct 2025
According to her, around 4,000 farmers and villagers were present at the hearing, but none were given an opportunity to voice their opinions or objections regarding the project. Instead, the two-hour session was dominated by political speeches and commotion.
Shamshad Begum, who received Padma Shri at the hands of then President Pratibha Patil in 2012, further claimed that as the situation escalated, trained Women Commandos from her organisation, certified under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan of the Union Ministry of Education, along with local villagers, tried to restore order and requested the officials to conduct the hearing properly. However, ignoring their plea, the Resident Deputy Collector abruptly declared the hearing cancelled and left the venue.
Calling the incident a “blatant violation” of the rules governing public hearings, she urged the President to nullify the September 10 hearing and direct that it be reconducted under the supervision of competent and impartial government officials
In her letter, Shamshad Begum stated that the public hearing held recently in Walni was “completely faulty” and deliberately made ineffective by the concerned officials through violation of prescribed rules and procedures. She claimed to have already raised the issue via email on September 14, 2025, but alleged that the correspondence might not have been brought to the attention of the President.
“If my complaint had reached the President’s notice, I would have certainly received a response as per protocol,” she wrote, adding that the actions of the officials have created widespread dissatisfaction among villagers in the affected areas of the Dahegaon Gowari underground mining zone.
According to her, the villagers are now planning to launch a protest movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s “Non-Cooperation Movement” if their grievances are not addressed. She urged the President to intervene and direct the authorities to reconduct the public hearing in accordance with the rules to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Political drama before public hearing
Meanwhile, the public hearing on the coal project was marred by political overtones. Before the proceedings began, several political leaders were seen on the dais addressing citizens, a move that raised questions over protocol and neutrality.
BJP leader Rajeev Poddar was among the first to take a seat on the stage and address the gathering. Later, Congress leader Kunda Raut and MLA Sameer Meghe and ex-MLA Sunil Kedar also joined the stage.
However, Hema Deshpande, Regional Officer of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), later clarified that these leaders were not present on the stage during the official public hearing. She maintained that they appeared only before the hearing commenced and after it was called off.
