Chhattisgarh govt writes to Centre urging to cancel forest clearance approval for mining in Hasdeo Aranya
Chhattisgarh government has on Monday written to central government urging for the cancellation of forest clearance given for the mining activities in the Parsa coal block located in Hasdeo Aranya of Chhattisgarh, in view of protest by the forest dwellers.
Chhattisgarh’s Forest Department undersecretary K P Rajput has written to the Inspector General of Forests in the Union Ministry of Forest and Climate Change highlighting the widespread public protest in Hasdeo Aranya coal field, leading to law and order situation. Keeping this in mind, the forest clearance issued for the 841 hectare Parsa open mine project should be cancelled, said the letter.
Earlier, the government had supported a non-official resolution in the assembly. In this, a demand was made to the Central Government to cancel the allocation of coal mine projects in Hasdeo Aranya area.
Meanwhile, various organisations, including Chhattisgarh Bachao Andoland, have welcomed the government’s move. AlokShukla of the CBA said, it should be seen as a first step towards the victory.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had given environmental clearance to Parsa coal mine in July 2019. Local villagers, including Hasdeo Aranya BachaoSangharsh Samiti, had alleged that the proposal on the basis of which this approval has been given was fake. There was opposition to this project in his Gram Sabha. The government did not listen and in February 2020, the Union Ministry of Forests issued Stage-I forest clearance for the Parsa coal mine. Stage-II clearance for the project was issued in October 2021. On 6 April 2022, the Chhattisgarh government also issued the final approval to give forest land.
People from villages like Fatehpur, Salhi and Hariharpur, Ghatbarra affected by Parsa coal mine are still protesting. They say, the government is encroaching on their constitutional rights with environmental concerns. In October last year, they had narrated their problems to the Governor and the Chief Minister by undertaking a 300-km padyatra. Complaint of fake gram sabha was made. Even after that, the government has not got him investigated. Meanwhile, 43 hectares of dense forest has been cut for Kete extension. The villagers have been sitting on dharna since March this year.
Parsa mine is allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut UtpadanNigam. With this move of the Chhattisgarh government, the crisis of expensive electricity has started deepening in Rajasthan. It was said by the company, Rajasthan has recently gone through a phase of power crisis. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had also visited Chhattisgarh in March.
During this, he had requested Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to make operational all three coal mines specially allotted to the corporation at the earliest. He also emphasized that RRVUNL has already completed all the legal procedures. In order to generate 4400 MW of power from the plants in Rajasthan, the Central Government had allotted ParsaEast Kete Basan, Parsa and Kete Extension coal blocks in Chhattisgarh from time to time.
