In a surprise move, Chhattisgarh Health and Panchayat Minister T.S. Singh Deo on Monday openly came against the decision of the Bhupesh Baghel government on expanding mining work in the forests of Hasdeo Aranya region in Surguja.
Singh Deo on Monday visited the affected villages Ghatbarra and Hariharpur and extended support to the agitating tribal forest dwellers against their eviction.
With Environment Clearance given by the Baghel government, the decks were cleared to extract coal to meet the demand of power houses amid a power crisis looming large in the country.
The coal blocks of Parsa East and Keat Basin (PEKB) and Parsa have been allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, whose Mining Developer and Operator Adani group is all set to fell thousands of trees in the region to mine coal.
The Hasdeo tribals are unwilling to leave their forest where they worship the trees as their nature deity in Devgudis, the place of their worship.
It is being alleged that forest and environment clearances for the Parsa coal block were taken with forged documents. Gram Sabhas were pressurized and were compelled to put their thumb impressions on the document.
The Baghel government in March gave a go-ahead for coal mining in an area of 1,138 hectares under the second phase of Parsa East-Kete Basan (PEKB) Phase-II coal block and for 1,252 hectares in Parsa.
The Hasdeo Aranya is a forest region in Surguja and Korba districts of Northern Chhattisgarh and is one of the largest intact dense forest patches in Central India spread over an area of 170,000 hectares.
It is rich in biodiversity having over 450 species of flora and fauna including critically endangered species like elephant, leopard and sloth bear. There is a significant elephant presence in the area throughout the year.
Most of the land here comes under Schedule 5 area which is home to around 20,000 tribals and forest dwellers.
Critics say that the government is going ahead to exploit the coal in the region without bothering about the tribals.
Environmentalist and convener of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, Alok Shukla, is crusading to save the forest under the banner of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan.
“There will be dire consequences if the environment of the forest is disturbed,” he says. "The consequences of losing Hasdeo Aranya will be disastrous, not just locally but nationally."
Tribals opposed to mining want a FIR to be filed against company officials for forging gram sabha consent.