Hasdeo Arand protest: Chhattisgarh puts three mining projects on hold
Hasdeo Arand is one of the largest contiguous stretches of very dense forestland in central India, spanning 1,70,000 hectares. It has 23 coal blocks
Three mining projects in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand forest have been indefinitely put on hold amid protests by residents and environmental activists over felling of trees in the biodiversity-rich and ecologically sensitive area, senior officials said.

The state government’s decision came days after health minister T S Singh Deo visited Surguja and Surajpur districts on June 6 and extended his support to the protesters, the officials added.
Local activists and tribals in these villages have raised concerns that the three projects may involve felling of around 4.5 to 5 lakh trees.
“Mining activity in PEKB (Parsa East and Kete Basan coal block) which began during the first phase will continue since it has been going on since 2013. However, all departmental or official processes for the second phase of PEKB and Parsa and Kete extension mining projects have been put on hold indefinitely,” Surguja collector Sanjeev Jha confirmed.
The second phase of the PEKB project involving 1,136.328 hectares of forest land was approved by the state government on March 25. The approval for 41.538 hectares of forest land for the Para project was granted on April 6.
The public hearing for environmental clearance (EC) of Kete extension involving 1,760 hectares of forest land was supposed to be held on June 13 but has now been called off, officials said.
All the three mining projects have been allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (RRVUL). Rajasthan is also ruled by the Congress.
Tribals in the Hasdeo Arand have been protesting against mining activities in the region for the past decade.
On Monday, health minister Singhdeo participated in a protest in his constituency, Surguja, and announced that he would take the first bullet or blow from a stick if protesters are subjected to bullets and sticks.
A day later, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said not a single branch will be chopped without the consent of the health minister.
Following Singhdeo’s protest, collectors were instructed by top officials to pause all mining projects until he “gives his consent,” the officials cited above said.
“The government took the decision (of putting the projects on hold) after Singhdeo’s protest in his constituency. After forming the government in 2018, the chief minister had decided to extend the Lemru Elephant corridor by 3,400 square kilometres to avoid any mining activity in Hasdeo Arand area. Singhdeo had objected to this as his constituency was falling under the area. Had we declared 3,400 sq kms of land in Lemru Elephant Reserve, there would have been no question of giving final approval to the three mining projects,” a functionary close to Baghel said on condition of anonymity.
On the state government’s decision to put on hold the mining projects till he gives his consent, Singhdeo said: “It is very immature of the administration... How can an administration withhold or give a go-ahead to any project based upon a certain individual’s consent? That has to be done as per legal provisions.”
Singhdeo rebutted the argument that he opposed an extension of 3,400 square kilometers of Lemru Elephant corridor which eventually led to becoming a ground for opening up of Parsa, PKEB (second phase) and Kete. He said: “The argument is completely false. I have always maintained that it is for the people to decide in the gram sabha as to what they want.”
During the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime in 2004, 450 sq km of Lemru Elephant project was passed in the state assembly by consensus, to which the central government had given a green signal.
“The then Raman Singh government had put that issue under the carpet and nothing happened. I had raised the issue subsequently many times in the assembly and also added the issue in the ‘Jan Ghoshna Patra’. Further, 1,995 sq km were decided to be taken under Elephant reserves and not just 450 sq km. After that, there was a proposal to expand it to 3,400 sq km, to which the people objected, which I had conveyed, and asked for a gram sabha to ascertain the opinion of the people. People were of the view that the areas which were not affected by elephant’s presence should be left out of the project,” Singhdeo said.
Activists said the government should cancel the three mining projects instead of putting it on hold.
“Why is the government not cancelling the projects when villagers are against it, alleging that the approvals were given on the basis of a fake gram sabha. I demand all three projects in Hasdeo Arand forest be cancelled and not just be put on hold,” Alok Shukla, convenor of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, said.
Now, it seems that the final decision regarding the mining projects of Hasdeo Arayna will be taken by Congress high-command.
The Hasdeo Arand coalfield, spread over 1,878 square kilometres in Korba, Surguja and Surajpur districts in the northern part of the state, comprises 23 coal blocks. In 2009, the Union environment ministry had categorised the region as a “no-go” zone for mining but later changed its tune as the policy was not “finalised”.
Elephants have a significant presence in the region throughout the year, and are an important part of a large migratory corridor. The forests here are the catchment of Hasdeo River – Mahanadi’s largest tributary – which is critical for the flow of the perennial river.
It is also the watershed of Hasdeo Bango reservoir, and thus, critical for the irrigation of three lakh hectares of double-cropped land in the “rice-bowl” state.
Tribals in Hasdeo Arand area have been protesting against mining activities in the region for the last one decade.
The protests against the three mining projects are “justified in some ways”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had recently said during an interaction with students of University of Cambridge.