Hasdeo mining issue resurfaces in Chhattisgarh with ‘clearance’ for another project

With a recent Chhattisgarh government decision approving forest clearance for a mining project — that potentially paves the way for the felling of 4.5 lakh trees — the State’s politics has come full circle on the issue of mining in the ecologically sensitive Hasdeo Aranya.

A recommendation letter dated June 26, in which the forest department has approved the proposal for diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes, coal excavation work in the Kete Extension Coal Block Open Mine Project of the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam or RNUVL, surfaced online on Monday (August 4, 2025). In the letter uploaded on the government’s PARIVESH website, Forest Department Official from Surguja district Abhishek Jogawat has based the recommendation on a survey done by him.

It has been slammed by the Opposition Congress and environmentalists. Demanding its cancellation, they have accused the ruling BJP of sacrificing the interests of the people of the State as well as ecological concerns “for the benefit of their capitalist friends”.

Posting the images of the letter, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday (August 4, 2025) alleged the Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government of the State was sacrificing Chhattisgarh’s magnificent forests and the catchment area of the Hasdeo Bango Dam for the benefit of the Adani conglomerate that is the mine developer and operator for RNUVL.

“The Kete Extension coal block is spread across 1,760 hectares, of which 1,742 hectares (99%) is dense forest. Felling these trees would mean cutting down more than 600,000 trees. The entire block is the catchment area for the Charanoi River, and a biodiversity study report had also recommended its protection. The environmental and forest clearance for Kete Extension was withheld during our government’s tenure, but the BJP government has now granted permission,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, threatening a mass protest, his erstwhile deputy and senior Congress of the Sarguja region, where the forests are located, wrote on X that under the guise of the Rajasthan government, “the BJP government of Chhattisgarh has accepted sacrificing the interests of Surguja and the State for the benefit of their capitalist friends”.

Environmentalist Alok Shukla, who has been a dissenting voice over the issue, has alleged that since assuming power in late 2023, whenever there has been a controversy over mining-related deforestation, the ruling BJP has blamed the previous Congress government for granting permission for the axing of trees. However, this time, the survey was conducted by the BJP government itself, he adds. He notably had protested against a similar forest clearance granted by the then Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel for another project a few years ago, leading to a public war of words with the ex CM.

On the latest decision granting forest clearance, Mr. Shukla said that it went against the recommendations of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and a resolution passed by the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly which unanimously resolved to cancel all coal blocks in the Hasdeo Aranya.

“Hasdeo is an important wildlife habitat, and any mining here will escalate the problem of human-elephant conflict on such a large scale that it will become difficult for the state to manage. Additionally, local residents submitted 1,623 individual objection letters during the public hearing for environmental clearance. If the state government does not immediately withdraw this recommendation, a statewide protest will be launched against it,” he said.