Chhattisgarh’s Coal Mining Push Triggers Political Row Over Forest Rights in Hasdeo

Chhattisgarh has proposed the diversion of 1,742 hectares of forest land for coal mining in the Kente extension coal block and integrated washery project in the Hasdeo Aranya, one of India’s last remaining old-growth forests in the state’s Surguja district. This move has triggered a political row over ecological concerns, according to HT.

An official said that the Sarguja divisional forest officer recommended the diversion on June 26, following a site inspection, and the proposed move could result in the felling of over 600,000 trees.

According to a June 27 report by The Wire, at least 5,000 trees were felled on June 26 and 27 in the villages of Mudagaon and Saraitola in Tamnar tehsil in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district as part of a massive tree felling operation to set up a coal mine in the Gare Palma Sector II coal block, activists on the ground told The Wire.  

A forest officer, speaking with HT on condition of anonymity, defended the diversion, saying it was part of a process following the mine allocation.

Residents submitted 1,623 written objections during the public hearing for the project’s environmental clearance. Activists allege the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which assesses environmental impacts of development projects, ignored them while recommending clearance without due consideration of public concerns.

Environmentalists Condemn the Move

Environmental groups, the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan and Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, condemned the move and demanded its immediate withdrawal, citing a 2022 assembly resolution to halt coal mining in Hasdeo.

Forest rights activist Alok Shukla said that the proposed mining site within the Chornai River’s catchment area is around three kilometers from the Lemru Elephant Reserve. He said experts have cited the region’s ecological sensitivity and warned of heightened human-elephant conflict if mining activities were allowed. “The Wildlife Institute of India has recommended a moratorium on mining in the area, citing biodiversity and conflict concerns.”

Another wave of protests erupted across Chhattisgarh as thousands of people rallied against the forest department’s move of ‘claiming control over community forest lands’, resisting in letter and spirit on July 1 and July 2 in the state. They said that the order undermined the Forest Rights Act (FRA 2006) and the constitutional powers of Gram Sabhas.

In May, the Union government’s EAC recommended clearance for the Kente extension project. The forest clearance process is a mandatory step before final approval.

An earlier report from October 2020 by HT stated the coal ministry’s plans to acquire 1,760 hectares in Surguja for mining, 98% of which is protected forest area. The ministry issued a notice in a Raipur newspaper in this regard on October 15. It said that Kente extension has an estimated 200 million tonnes of coal.