NACEJ slams clearance for Kente coal block in Hasdeo, demands immediate revocation

By A Representative 

The National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice (NACEJ), a pan-Indian initiative of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), has strongly condemned the clearance granted by the Chhattisgarh Forest Department for the diversion of over 1,740 hectares of dense Hasdeo Arand forest land for the Kente Extension coal block. The block, allocated to the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) with Adani Enterprises as the mine operator, has become the latest flashpoint in the long-running battle between forest conservation, tribal rights, and coal mining interests.

In a statement, NACEJ demanded the immediate revocation of the clearance, investigation into alleged violations of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), Forest Rights Act (FRA), and Forest Conservation Act (FCA), as well as disciplinary and criminal proceedings against the Forest Department staff and the mine operator if wrongdoing is proven. The group further called for revocation of clearances for all proposed mines in Hasdeo, noting that thousands of trees have already been cut for the Parsa East and Kanta Basan (PEKB) coal blocks, also allocated to RRVUNL.

Hasdeo Arand, often described as the lungs of central India, is a biodiversity hotspot supporting 640 floral species, 128 medicinal plant species, 92 bird species, and endangered wildlife including elephants, sloth bears, and leopards. The Wildlife Institute of India has previously warned that coal mining in the region could disrupt vital wildlife corridors and worsen human-elephant conflicts. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education has highlighted the forests’ critical hydrological function, irrigating 300,000 hectares of farmland through the Hasdeo River and Bango Dam. Nearly 99 percent of the Kente block falls within the Chornai River catchment, making its diversion a serious risk to agriculture, drinking water supplies, and ecological balance.

Beyond ecology, the forests are central to the cultural and spiritual life of Gond, Oraon, and other Adivasi communities. NACEJ warned that the felling of nearly 600,000 trees will not only devastate livelihoods dependent on forest produce, food, and medicine but also uproot sacred groves and traditional practices that form the identity of indigenous people. It said the clearance represents a violation of laws that safeguard Adivasi self-rule and Gram Sabha consent. The Chhattisgarh State Scheduled Tribes Commission had earlier flagged irregularities in the clearance process for the adjacent Parsa coal block, including forged Gram Sabha consents and coercion of tribal leaders, which NACEJ said could now be repeated in Kente.

The alliance also recalled that in 2022, a widespread people’s movement compelled the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly to pass a resolution cancelling 21 proposed coal mines in Hasdeo, pointing out that Rajasthan’s coal needs for the next 15 years were already met by existing blocks. NACEJ argued that the Forest Department’s decision to clear Kente directly contradicts this legislative resolution, prioritizing corporate profit over ecological sustainability and people’s rights.

NACEJ further underlined that the clearance undermines India’s commitments under international frameworks. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires free, prior, and informed consent of affected communities, which it said had not been obtained. The group stressed that mining in Hasdeo contradicts biodiversity goals under the Convention on Biological Diversity, including the Aichi Targets and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and jeopardizes India’s Paris Agreement pledge to reduce carbon emissions and expand carbon sinks through forest conservation.

The alliance demanded urgent steps by the Chhattisgarh government to revoke the Kente clearance, investigate the role of Forest Department officials and the mine operator, and respect the 2022 Assembly resolution restricting mining in Hasdeo. It urged Rajasthan to recognize its energy security can be met through existing coal blocks alongside scaling up solar and wind power, rather than depending on destructive coal mining in ecologically rich forests of another state.

According to NACEJ, Rajasthan already has significant renewable energy potential and operational coal mines sufficient to meet thermal power requirements. The alliance argued that accelerating solar and wind energy projects within the state, without displacing agrarian and pastoralist communities, was the sustainable path forward. It appealed to both Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh governments to ensure that the survival of Adivasis, the protection of forests, and India’s climate commitments are not sacrificed for short-term corporate gains.