Tree felling has started (in the Hasdeo area) and 30,000 trees have been felled
The felling of trees for the phase-2 expansion of Parsa East and Kete Basan (PEKB) coal mines in the biodiversity-rich Hasdeo Arand region of Chhattisgarh's Surguja district has begun under police guard.
Activists claimed that police on Thursday detained those protesting against mining in the Hasdeo area.
The Opposition Congress raised the issue in the state Assembly and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of favoring industrialists.
The local administration claimed it had all necessary permissions to continue felling trees, while police officials said they had visited the homes of some local residents to advise them not to create law and order.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai told reporters at the Assembly complex that he has received information about people's resistance (against deforestation) but no arrests have been made.
The forest department has started felling of trees for PEKB phase 2 in Udaipur development block of Surguja district this (Thursday) morning. Police personnel were deployed there to maintain public order. Necessary permission has been granted, a district administration official said on Thursday.
The state government had granted permission for non-forestry use of 1,136,328 hectares of forest land for the PEKKB phase II mine (Surguja), which was allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) last year.
According to officials, the first phase of mining on 762 hectares of land in the PEKB block allocated to RVUNL in 2007 began in 2013 and was completed. Local villagers under the banner of Hasdeo Arand Bachao Sangharsh Samiti have been protesting against the allocation of these mines for years.
The forest department had in the past tried to launch a tree felling exercise to pave the way for the start of the PEKB phase 2 coal mine, but it attracted strong opposition from local villagers, forcing the authorities to halt their drive.
Alok Shukla, chairman of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan (CBA), who has been at the forefront of the protest against the allotment of these coal mines, on Thursday said it is very unfortunate that the state government has started felling trees for PEKB phase 2.
Earlier, attempts were also made to cut down trees. Local gram sabhas have not given permission for a coal mine in the area. The Chhattisgarh Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on July 26 last year that no mining activities will be carried out in the Hasdeo area, he said.
“Instead of honoring that resolution, the newly elected government on Thursday morning started felling trees by deploying heavy security forces after detaining our friends of Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti including the sarpanch of Ghatbarra Jainandan Porte and Thakur Ram Shukla said.
Shukla claimed that he and his friend were intercepted by some persons wearing civilian clothes in Katghora (Korba district) when the two were on their way to Hasdeo.
We don't know if they were police officers or not. They picked us up and dropped us off at Bilaspur and didn't allow us to go there. We strongly condemn the action and demand an immediate halt to deforestation, he said.
Opposition Leader Charan Das Mahant raised the issue in the Assembly.
Tree felling has started (in the Hasdeo area) and 30,000 trees have been felled. Tribes protesting against tree felling were arrested. There was a resolution passed during our (Baghel) government to save Hasdeo. We want the government to stop destroying Hasdeo. Don't give the land and jungle of the poor (to industrialists), Mahant said.
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First print: December 22, 2023 | 9:49 am IST