Numerous organizations intensified their protests Sunday at Hariharpur village in the state of Chhattisgarh in India, raising demands to cancel the Parsa coal mine as it threatens large-scale deforestation of the Hasdeo forests of Chhattisgarh, also known as the lungs of Chhattisgarh.
The Parsa (East) and Kanta Basan (PEKB) coal mine was allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) by the Ministry of Coal, and the company gave mine developer and operator (MDO) to Adani group. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India (MoEF) in 2022 granted RRVUNL an extension of the coal mining site. For the extension, the company was given 91.130 hectares of land, despite the protests by the villagers, out of the 134.760 hectares of land reserved for coal mines. However, the authorities had to pause cutting trees in 2022 to keep the situation under control after hundreds of villagers protested. The authorities restarted the extension project in 2023.
Locals and activists have been allegedly threatened and arrested by police as they were trying to hinder the extension project. Rakesh Tikait, a farmer leader and spokesperson of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), said the arrests of agitators show that the “government is anti-environment” and urged the government to stop deforestation. Alok Shukla, the convenor of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan (Save Chhattisgarh Movement), posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), which showed that Chhattisgarh police were trying to restrict protesters from reaching the protest site. Article 19 of the Constitution of India guarantees the right to peaceful protests.
The Hasdeo forests spread across 1,878 square km in North-Central Chhattisgarh and lie in the catchment area of the Hasdeo River. Underneath the forests lies a coalfield that is comprised of 22 coal blocks allotted to different companies. In 2010, the government categorized the forests as a “no-go” zone for mining. However, a year later, it granted clearance for the mining of one coal block.
According to news agencies, 41 hectares of trees were cut in 2022, and an additional 93 hectares were granted a clearance in November 2023. In 2014, the National Green Tribunal, the environmental court of India, halted mining licenses for the coal mine and instructed the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to assess the environmental impact of mining in the region. The report, submitted to the apex court in 2021, cautioned against opening a new mine in the area as it can potentially lead to an ecological crisis and human-wildlife conflict. The Supreme Court of India revoked the mining allocation as a part of the broader coal scam judgment. However, the government in March 2022 reallocated PEKB Phase II mining projects.
The forests of India are currently governed under the National Forest Policy, 1988, which aims to maintain environmental stability through preserving and restoring ecological balance.
