In Chhattisgarhs Dense Hasdeo Forests Environmental Nod Granted For Mining In Kente Extension Coal Block

In Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo-Arand forests, the Environment Ministry has accorded environmental clearance for mining in the Kente extension integrated coal block ,with a projected production capacity of 9 million tonnes of coal per annum.

This is the third major coalfield that has been granted clearance in the Hasdeo forests. Parsa and Parsa East Kente Basan (PEKB) open cast mines are already operational in the forests — once earmarked as a no-go zone for mining to protect forests and wildlife.

The Kente extension coal block, spread over 1,760 hectares in Surguja district, was allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Ltd in 2015. The Adani Group is the mine developer and operator. Coal extracted from this mine will be transported to Rajasthan to feed the Chhabra and Suratgarh coal plants.

The clearance comes even as a 2021 biodiversity assessment by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for the larger Hasdeo-Arand coalfield (HACF) had stated that no mining should be carried out in the forests there, except in the already operational Parsa East Kente Basan mine, due to the activity’s likely impact on biodiversity.

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education had said in the biodiversity assessment done with WII that the case of Kente extension may be decided with strict environmental safeguards related to surface water management and biodiversity conservation measures, considering the presence of very dense and moderately dense forest cover, and occurrence of wildlife.

Local tribal communities and the Congress have opposed Chhattisgarh’s push for the proposal and Centre’s approvals, citing the large-scale deforestation entailed in coal mining. As per official documents, 1,742.6 hectares of forest land will be diverted for the purpose. Felling of 4.48 lakh trees is proposed, but only in phases, and subject to coal requirements. In the first phase covering five years, close to 98,000 trees are to be felled. Of these, nearly 60,000 trees will be felled from the sixth to 10th year of the project. The Chhattisgarh government has been directed to translocate 67,414 trees below 60 cm girth and fell trees strictly in a phased manner.

The project will affect 56 families in Kente, Basan, Chakeri and Parogia villages in Surguja’s Udaipur tehsil. They are to be rehabilitated as per the state government-approved relief and rehabilitation plan.

In 2017, the Environment Ministry’s forest advisory committee had granted in-principle approval for prospecting of the coal in the Kente extension coal block, with the condition to include a biodiversity assessment study. This assessment, by ICFRE, in consultation with WII, had said that mining related land-use changes will have a negative impact on forest cover and density.

An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More