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87.35 hectares of Zudpi jungle diverted for coal mine project
The Gondkhairi Underground Coal Mine project, being carried out by the Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML) and involves an investment of over ₹1,300 crore with an operational lifespan of 30 years
Mumbai: The Maharashtra forest department diverted 87.35 hectares of shrub forest (Zudpi jungle) for Gondkhairi Underground Coal Mine project on Monday. The land allotted for the project is located in Gondkhairi village in Kalmeshwar taluka, 20 kilometres from Nagpur city.
The Gondkhairi Underground Coal Mine project, being carried out by the Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML) and involves an investment of over ₹1,300 crore with an operational lifespan of 30 years.
In March this, the Supreme Court ruled that the Zudpi jungle in Nagpur shall be considered as “forest lands” and noted that the diversion of land in the forest’s limits for non-forest purposes, shall not be done without prior approval from the central government. The SC also directed the Maharashtra government and the Centre to jointly formulate a plan to process proposals for diversion of bushy forests for non-forest purposes.
An expert panel appointed by the forest department to ascertain its usage suggested that the Zudpi jungle should be denotified as forest area and reclassified as revenue land in order to make way for infra projects. Following this, environmental activists opposed the suggestion and moved the court against the panel’s proposal, after which the apex court ruled that the utilisation of land in the Zudpi jungle for infra projects can be sanctioned with the approval of the central government.
With the centre giving a nod to the conversion of the land for the said coal project, the Maharashtra forest department diverted 87.35 hectares of the jungle to the Gondkhairi Underground Coal Mine project being carried out by Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML).
A spokesperson of Adani Power declined to comment on the matter.
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