Chhattisgarh: Lust for black diamond spells doom for Hasdeo

The Hasdeo Arand forest may soon be history. Spread over 1.70 lakh hectares in Chhattisgarh, the last contiguous stretch of dense forest in central India is threatened by new mining leases and the largescale felling of trees. Not only does this ‘lung of central India’ help regulate the climate, it is home to 640 floral species, 128 medicinal plants, 92 bird species and numerous endangered animals.

Mining in this catchment area for the Hasdeo river will disrupt water supply for both agriculture and industry, affect the livelihoods of five million people and jeopardise the future of the Bango dam.

Densely packed below the surface of the forest are ‘black diamonds’ — an estimated five billion tonnes of coal deposits. Unlike most coal blocks, these are said to be closer to the surface, hence easier to mine and lighter on initial overheads, making Hasdeo doubly attractive for the coal mining lobby.

The UPA government managed to protect the forest for a while. With a surge in the demand for power, a weakened UPA knuckled under and reluctantly allowed a section of the outer perimeter of Hasdeo to be mined.

The Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (RRVUN) bought mining rights for two out of 23 coal blocks in 2007 — the Parsa East and Kente Basan mines (PEKB). In 2010, its proposal to divert 1,898 hectares of forest land in the Sarjuga district was placed before the expert forest advisory committee (FAC) of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change. The FAC shot down the proposal, citing the area’s immense ecological value as a reason for its continued conservation.

The energy deficit state of Rajasthan approached Jairam Ramesh, the then environment minister. On 23 June 2011, Ramesh overruled the FAC’s recommendation and granted stage 1 approval, pointing out that the block was located in a fringe area and did not impinge on the richly biodiverse Hasdeo Arand forest. The final stage 2 approval came through on 15 March 2012, by which time Ramesh was no longer heading the ministry.

A case was filed before the National Green Tribunal which set aside the clearance. RRVUN took the case to the Supreme Court which stayed the NGT’s direction. In March 2012, the ministry ended up granting permission to mine 762 ha. with a reserve of 135 million tonnes to be mined for 15 years. In 2013, the company started operations in partnership with Adani Mining, then a small player in coal mining.

Subsequent records show that Adani wrested control of four of the six blocks initially approved for mining, after which it demanded approval for yet another mine spread across 4,400 acres.

After the 2014 general election brought the BJP to power with Narendra Modi as prime minister, the FAC received a proposal to divert 841 hectares of forest land for the proposed Parsa Open Cast Mine in Surguja and Surajpur districts. This will eventually destroy more than 800,000 trees across nearly 5,000 acres of dense forest. It will also mean the eviction of thousands of tribals to whom Adani Mining has made several promises — including new housing, schools, hospitals and jobs — none of which have been fulfilled so far, say activists on the ground.

The original inhabitants of Hasdeo, who include the Gond and Oraon tribes, have been protesting the expansion and are planning statewide protests from 12 September. Alok Shukla, winner of the 2024 Goldman Environmental prize, has been organising the pushback under the banner of the Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangarsh Samiti for the past decade.

Shukla says, “People’s lives and livelihoods are at stake. We want the Surjuga forest in Ambikapur district (where the extension is being sought) to remain undivided, and we want to highlight just how much suffering such a move will cause.”

As tribals point out the orange markings on trees earmarked for the axe, Shukla adds, “We will continue to fight, but we are aware that neither the state nor the Central government is interested in saving Hasdeo.”

Under Bhupesh Baghel, the Congress government in Chhattisgarh had safeguarded the core forest area. With Modi in the saddle at the Centre since 2014 and the BJP government in the state since 2023, the situation has changed rapidly.

On 7 July 2025, the Chhattisgarh forest department recommended diverting 1,742.6 hectares of dense forest for the Kente Extension coal block, assigned to RRVUN, with Adani Enterprises designated as the mine operator, reported Down to Earth.

As the main Opposition party, the Congress has been vocal both about the damage this expansion will do, and who it will benefit the most (the Adanis).

On 4 August, Baghel wrote on X, ‘The Kete Extension coal block is spread across 1,760 ha., of which 1,742 ha. (99%) is dense forest. Felling these trees would mean cutting down more than 600,000 trees. The entire block is a 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.’

State leaders also question how permission was granted to extend mining in an area that falls under Schedule Five of the Indian Constitution under which it is mandatory to get permission from all six Gram Sabhas before a final nod can be given. Residents of the affected villages point out that all consent documents are farzi (forged).

Activists from the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan told this reporter that villagers have, since the start of their agitation, accused officials of holding fake Gram Sabhas — forcing or forging signatures behind locked doors.

The Chhattisgarh State Scheduled Tribes Commission conducted an investigation into the alleged fake meetings related to the Parsa coal block. It found that most of the signatures were forged and recommended that the mining approval be revoked. However, district officials refused to accept the Commission’s findings.