Congress protest against Tara coal block auction

Notes

• The Hasdeo-Aranya region in Chhattisgarh is a biodiversity-rich ecosystem currently facing potential environmental degradation due to coal block auctions.
• The Tara coal block covers approximately 5,000 acres, with over 4,000 acres classified as dense forest.
• Environmental concerns include the potential clear-felling of over 10 lakh trees and the disruption of the Lemru Elephant Reserve corridor.
• The Chhattisgarh Assembly passed a resolution in July 2022 opposing the allocation or auction of new coal blocks in the Hasdeo-Aranya region.
• In July 2023, the State government submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating that new mining developments in the region are unnecessary.
• The Union Coal Ministry had previously denotified 40 coal blocks, including Tara, from the auction process in October 2023.
• Local communities, including Adivasis, have opposed mining in the region for 15 years through Gram Sabha resolutions and public protests.
• Compensatory afforestation is debated as an insufficient mitigation strategy for the loss of mature, dense natural forest ecosystems.