Brinda Karat Urges Union Government to Halt Kente Coal Mine in Hasdeo

Raipur: Senior Communist Party of India (Marxis) (CPI(M)) leader Brinda Karat has written to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, urging immediate intervention to stop the diversion of 1,742.6 hectares of dense forest land in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand region for the expansion of the Kente Extension open-cast coal mine. In her letter, Brinda she pointed out the serious violations of tribal rights and environmental crisis, calling the project a case of natural resources being handed over to private corporate interests under the false pretext of public necessity.

Her appeal comes in the wake of the Chhattisgarh Forest Department granting Stage-I clearance to the project, a joint venture between the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. (RRVUNL) and Adani Enterprises, under the banner of Parsa Kente Collieries Ltd. Adani holds a 74% stake in the venture.

The project, currently being cleared by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Chhattisgarh government, has its origins in decisions taken during the tenure of the BJP-led Rajasthan government under Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in 2007. It was during this period that operational control was granted to Adani through a joint venture with the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUNL), under the framework of a state energy initiative. Subsequent mining approvals and project expansions received support across both BJP and Congress regimes.

However, public records and watchdog reports reveal that significant portions of coal from existing mines in the region have been reclassified as “unusable” and routed to private companies—raising serious questions about the claim of "public interest" used to justify forest diversion. This pattern has led to widespread allegations that constitutional provisions and environmental safeguards are being systematically undermined to benefit private capital.

The clearance has also come under fire for allegedly bypassing mandatory provisions under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). Both laws require free, prior, and informed consent from Gram Sabhas for projects involving forest land. In multiple villages, Gram Sabha resolutions presented in support of the project have been accused of being forged—a pattern previously identified by the Chhattisgarh State Scheduled Tribes Commission (CSSTC) in the case of the Parsa coal block, part of the same mining belt. Despite over 1,500 written objections submitted by local Adivasi residents, their opposition has not been meaningfully addressed by the state.

The Hasdeo Arand forest is a critical ecological zone, spanning more than 170,000 hectares, home to rich biodiversity, water catchments, and wildlife corridors. The proposed Kente mine lies less than 3 km from the Lemru Elephant Reserve, raising concerns about increased human-wildlife conflict, particularly with elephants.

If implemented, the Kente mine would result in the cutting of over 600,000 trees, many of which are native species that play a vital role in carbon sequestration. Activists and ecologists warn that this will contribute significantly to climate degradation, in direct contradiction to India’s stated commitments to environmental protection and carbon reduction.

Meanwhile, Adivasi communities in the Hasdeo region, who depend on the forest for their livelihoods, are facing displacement and disruption. Several villages have already reported polluted water sources, poor air quality, and increased distress due to existing mining activity in adjacent areas.

In 2022, the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution opposing mining in Hasdeo. However, the recent forest clearance by the state's own department has led to accusations of policy reversal and betrayal.

Despite the political back-and-forth, resistance from the ground has remained steady. Local communities have led non-violent protests, including a 330 km march to Raipur, and have repeatedly asserted their right to protect ancestral forests from corporate encroachment.

In her letter, Brinda Karat urged the union government to stop the implementation of the forest diversion and to direct the Chhattisgarh government to withdraw its recommendation.

The proposed Kente coal mine in Hasdeo is now at the center of a growing conflict between energy policy and ecological responsibility, tribal rights and corporate control, and legal norms versus political expediency.