Forest clearance cancelled for Chhattisgarh coal blocks

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. The coal mine has reserves in excess of 450 million tonne and was slated to produce 15 million tonne of coal every year. The block requiring 1989 hectare of forest land fell in an area that the government had initially barred as it was considered a patch of valuable forest and demarcated as -æno-go’ area.