Green tribunal cancels forest clearance for Chhattisgarh coal blocks
11 years ago

Green tribunal cancels forest clearance for Chhattisgarh coal blocks

The Hindu  

The National Green Tribunal has cancelled the clearance given by the environment minister to Parsa East and Kante-Basan captive coal blocks in Hasdeo Arand forests of Chhattisgarh, overruling the statutory Forest Advisory Committee. The forest clearance was given by the then Union environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh in June 2011, overriding the advice of the ministry's expert panel on the two blocks for mining by a joint venture between Adani and Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited. It further said, “Minister rejecting the recommendation of such expert body must bear in mind that he is countering an expert opinion/viewpoint and in doing so he must meet it with such opinion or viewpoint which it would outweigh both by content and quality as aforesaid.” Under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the FAC is required to appraise projects that require forestlands and advise the environment ministry to grant approval or reject the proposals. The tribunal noted that the FAC had “failed to give due regard to material issue/questions while tendering its advice to the ministry and the ministry largely over taken by anthropocentric reasons ignored these material and relevant eco-centric issues.” The minister, while over-ruling the FAC and clearing the coal blocks had given six reasons to do so including that the coal blocks are linked to a super-critical thermal power plant, imperative to sustain the momentum generated in XI plan to increasing power production and that the states of Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan have been following up consistently with the ministry.

Coal Forest Tribunal Minister Ministry Fac  green  clearance  cancels  coal  minister  ministry  reasons  tribunal  chhattisgarh  fac  environment  forest  given  blocks

History of this topic

Chhattisgarh tribal body finds irregularities in Hasdeo mining clearance
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Chhattisgarh tribal body finds irregularities in Hasdeo mining clearance

The Hindu  

The Chhattisgarh State Scheduled Tribe Commission has found irregularities in getting environment clearance for the Parsa coal mine in the Surguja region of the State and has recommended cancelling the forest clearance for the mining project in the biodiversity-rich area. The Commission has found that the said clearance – which is obtained only after receiving the consent of the gram …

Hasdeo Forest | Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Seeking Cancellation Of Mining Permission For PEKB, Parsa Coal Blocks In Chhattisgarh
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Hasdeo Forest | Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Seeking Cancellation Of Mining Permission For PEKB, Parsa Coal Blocks In Chhattisgarh

Live Law  

The Supreme Court yesterday issued notice on a public interest litigation seeking a direction to the Union of India to cancel all non-forest use and mining permissions granted for PEKB and Parsa Coal Block, Chhattisgarh.The PIL further seeks a direction to the State of Chhattisgarh to notify entire Hasdeo Aranya Forest and Parsa Coal Block, Chhattisgarh. The petitioner, claiming to …

Deforestation drive in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo starts again for PEKB phase 2 mining
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Deforestation drive in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo starts again for PEKB phase 2 mining

Hindustan Times  

Raipur: The deforestation drive in Chhattisgarh’s Pendramar forest started on Friday for the second phase of the Parsa East Kente Basan mining project, even as locals and tribals protested, activists said, adding that around 250,000 trees are likely to be felled over 1,136 hectares of the Hasdeo Aranya forest region. Out of which around 134 hectares of forest land had …

Chhattisgarh’s new BJP government restarts controversial coal mining in Adivasi areas
1 year, 2 months ago

Chhattisgarh’s new BJP government restarts controversial coal mining in Adivasi areas

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 29, 2023 18:17 IST - 7 MINS READ On the morning of December 21, Ajay T.G., a documentary filmmaker, and Alok Shukla, the convener of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan—a people’s movement opposing the privatisation of forest resources—were reportedly kidnapped by unidentified individuals. Criticism of the previous Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government over mining clearances and coal deliveries by Adani …

How are Chhattisgarh’s Adivasis fighting back miners in central India’s densest forest?
2 years, 9 months ago

How are Chhattisgarh’s Adivasis fighting back miners in central India’s densest forest?

The Hindu  

Published : Jun 26, 2022 18:00 IST - 10 MINS READ For years, tribal and forest-dwelling communities have opposed mining in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand, one of central India’s most dense forests. Hasdeo’s 23 coal blocks fall under a “No-Go” category listed in a joint study published by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of …

The battle against mining in Chhattisgarh
3 years, 3 months ago

The battle against mining in Chhattisgarh

The Hindu  

The Adivasi community in Hasdeo Arand Coalfield, Chhattisgarh, is up in arms against the expansion of coal mining projects that pose a threat to their existence and the rich biodiversity of the region. With conservationists, researchers and activists supporting them, the community has urged the Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to overturn the 2019 recommendations for the opening up and expansion …

After Sonia Gandhi’s intervention, Rajasthan may get coal from Chhattisgarh
3 years, 3 months ago

After Sonia Gandhi’s intervention, Rajasthan may get coal from Chhattisgarh

Hindustan Times  

The Chhattisgarh government may remove the hurdles for clearing Parsa coal block in bio-diversity rich Hasdeo Aryand forest for mining by Rajasthan government after the intervention of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, functionaries in the two Congress-ruled states said. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot wrote to Gandhi this week seeking her intervention to speed up state-level mining clearances for coal production …

Supreme Court Issues Notice To Centre, States On Plea Against Mining in Densely-Forested, Eco-Sensitive Areas
4 years, 3 months ago

Supreme Court Issues Notice To Centre, States On Plea Against Mining in Densely-Forested, Eco-Sensitive Areas

Live Law  

The petition by was heard by a bench led by the Chief Justice S. A. Bobde by Sudeip Shrivastava through advocate Prashant Bhushan. The plea challenges the Union of India's decision to allot different coal blocks by way of auction and allotment, situated in densely forested areas of the different states whereas less forested coal blocks are available in abundance. …

Five Coal Blocks Falling in Dense Forests of Chhattisgarh Removed from Auction List, 3 New Added
4 years, 6 months ago

Five Coal Blocks Falling in Dense Forests of Chhattisgarh Removed from Auction List, 3 New Added

News 18  

The Ministry of Coal has withdrawn five coal blocks from Chhattaigsarh’s densely forested areas of Hasdeo Arand and Maand from the proposed commercial auctioning list. The Chhattisgarh government had also urged the Centre to reconsider coal blocks included in Hasdeo Arand and Maand forests as they fall in dense forests and are biodiversity-rich areas. On August 1, Union minister for …

Time Taken for Forest Clearance for Coal Blocks May Soon Get Reduced: Secretary Anil Kumar Jain
4 years, 7 months ago

Time Taken for Forest Clearance for Coal Blocks May Soon Get Reduced: Secretary Anil Kumar Jain

News 18  

The coal ministry is in talks with the environment ministry for reducing the time required for obtaining forest clearance for operationalisation of blocks, a top official said on Tuesday. The forest clearance required for operationalisation of blocks takes a lot of time, Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain said. In case of forest clearance, we are constantly applying our mind and …

Posco cleared, Vedanta loses bid for Niyamgiri project
11 years, 2 months ago

Posco cleared, Vedanta loses bid for Niyamgiri project

The Hindu  

The Union Environment Ministry has taken a decision in two high profile cases, rejecting the forest clearance for Vedanta’s bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri Hills of Odisha, and renewing the stand-alone environmental clearance for Posco’s eight million tonnes per annum steel plant. The rejection of Vedanta’s proposal to dig in the Niyamgiri hills came after 12 village councils of Dongriya …

Coal blocks allocation arbitrary, says parliamentary panel
11 years, 11 months ago

Coal blocks allocation arbitrary, says parliamentary panel

The Hindu  

The Union government had abused power and handed out natural sources to a few fortunate ones without following a transparent system, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal has said. It demanded an investigation into the screening committees’ decision-making process in coal blocks allocation and penal action against those involved in such arbitrary process. In a report on the ‘Review of …

Govt may cancel coal block allocations : report
12 years, 6 months ago

Govt may cancel coal block allocations : report

India TV News  

New Delhi, Aug 30 : The government may cancel the allocation of more than 50 of the 57 coal blocks mentioned in the recent CAG report if it finds that the mining projects have not made much progress, reports Hindustan Times. The report quoting top sources said, a decision on this is expected in the next few days.The blocks likely …

Govt may cancel coal block allocations : report
12 years, 6 months ago

Govt may cancel coal block allocations : report

India TV News  

New Delhi, Aug 30 : The government may cancel the allocation of more than 50 of the 57 coal blocks mentioned in the recent CAG report if it finds that the mining projects have not made much progress, reports Hindustan Times. The report quoting top sources said, a decision on this is expected in the next few days.The blocks likely …

Ramesh Refers MP Coal Block Clearanance To GoM
13 years, 8 months ago

Ramesh Refers MP Coal Block Clearanance To GoM

India TV News  

New Delhi, Jul 8: The Environment Ministry today withheld clearance to the Mahan coal block in Madhya Pradesh that is intended to fuel power plants of Essar and Hindalco and referred the matter to a Group of Ministers. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has suggested the Sohagpur coalfield in Shahdol district as an alternative coal linkage for the power plants of …

No green nod for mining in Niyamgiri forests
13 years, 8 months ago

No green nod for mining in Niyamgiri forests

The Hindu  

Union Environment Ministry on Saturday made it clear that no green nod has been given to Orissa Mining Corporation to mine bauxite in the sensitive Niyamgiri Reserve Forests in the State and the status quo remains. The Ministry said the issue of environmental clearance to Orissa Mining Corporation’s Lanjigarh Project has become “practically redundant” as it had withdrawn the forest …

Jairam loses “no-go” battle, allows coal mining in forested Hasdeo Arand
13 years, 9 months ago

Jairam loses “no-go” battle, allows coal mining in forested Hasdeo Arand

The Hindu  

The bastion of Hasdeo-Arand has finally been broken. One year after saying that the coalfields of this heavily-forested, mineral rich region of Chhattisgarh would never be open to miners, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has finally granted a stage-I forest clearance to three blocks in the region: Tara, Parsa East and Kante Basan. “Yes, these are the first Hasdeo-Arand blocks to …

Environment Ministry nod to three coal blocks in Chhattisgarh
13 years, 9 months ago

Environment Ministry nod to three coal blocks in Chhattisgarh

The Hindu  

Rejecting the recommendations of the Forest Advisory Committee, Environment Ministry on Thursday gave its approval to open up Tara, Parsa East and Kante Basan coal blocks in the Hasdeo-Arand forest region of Chhattisgarh. In an order, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he “disagrees with the final recommendations” of the FAC, which advised him to reject the proposals made by the …

Forest Ministry free to say ‘no' to Vedanta: AG
14 years, 8 months ago

Forest Ministry free to say ‘no' to Vedanta: AG

The Hindu  

The Attorney-General has given the government a free rein to refuse forest clearance for Vedanta Aluminium's bauxite mining proposal in the Niyamgiri Hills of Orissa. Forest Conservation Act clearances for diversion of 660 hectares of land have not been granted to Vedanta and its partner, the Orissa Mining Corporation. Vedanta, as well as certain sections within the government, suggested that …

Discover Related