Chhattisgarh recommends Hasdeo forestland diversion for mining, triggers row

Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the diversion, accusing it of backing corporate interests

Chhattisgarh has recommended 1,742 hectares of forest land diversion in the Hasdeo Aranya, one of India’s last remaining old-growth forests in the state’s Surguja district, for coal mining in the Kente extension coal block, triggering a political row over ecological concerns.

Hasdeo Aranya is one of India’s last remaining old-growth forests. (HT PHOTO)

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.

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.”

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

In May, the Union government’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which assesses environmental impacts of development projects, recommended clearance for the Kente extension project. The forest clearance process is a mandatory step before final approval.

Residents submitted 1,623 written objections during the public hearing for the project’s environmental clearance. Activists allege the EAC ignored them while recommending clearance without due consideration of public concerns.

In October last year, HT reported the coal ministry planned 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.

Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel criticised the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the diversion move. He accused it of enabling corporate interests, particularly of Adani Enterprises, the mine developer and operator for Rajasthan’s state power utility.

There was no immediate response from Adani Enterprises to HT’s queries on the row.

Baghel said the BJP government, which launched the “One Tree in Mother’s Name” campaign, is permitting the destruction of forests. “The Kente extension block is 99% dense forest. Over 600,000 trees will be cut in a region that does not even require this coal. Rajasthan’s needs can be met by the operational PEKB [Parsa East and Kanta Basan] mine for the next 15 years,” Baghel said.

Baghel said his government withheld environmental and forest clearances for the project, opposed the Union government’s land acquisition, and urged the cancellation of the Parsa block. He called the fresh clearance an assault on Chhattisgarh’s forests, water sources, and tribal communities.

BJP spokesperson Sacchidanand Upasane accused Baghel of trying to deflect from past failures. He added that there is no need to glorify Baghel’s government, citing the alleged exploitation and corruption under his rule. “[This is] why people rejected you both in the jungles and on the ground. Your outburst shows your fear of jail. The Congress has always opposed development in Chhattisgarh. If the BJP government is doing wrong, seek justice in court, not through street-level politics,” Upasane said.