Chhattisgarh govt to hold public hearings on mining in Kente Extension coal block which includes 98% forest cover

Representative image (Source: AP)

As part of the environmental clearance process, the Chhattisgarh government will hold public hearings on mining in Kente Extension coal block, which includes an area with 98 percent forest cover, reports said on June 17.

The public hearings will be held in villages around the Kente Extension, which is located in the biodiversity-rich region of Hasdeo Arand, Hindustan Times reported citing officials.

Public hearings are part of the Union Environment Ministry's environmental clearance process, which also includes screening, scoping and appraisal. As part of the public hearings, the officials would hear the views of locals related to the mining project, and record their objections.

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The proposed mining in Kente Extension has been opposed by indigenous groups and local activists. A petition was also submitted before the Supreme Court in 2018 seeking cancellation of the coal block allocation.

"It has 98 percent dense forest cover. The state government should not have opened up this land," Alok Shukla, the convenor of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Chhattisgarh Forest Minister Mohammad Akbar told the newspaper that the state government is merely acting on the direction issued by the Union Environment Ministry to hold the public hearings.

“The directions of public hearing of any coal block comes from central government and we have to follow the instructions," he said, adding that the Environment Conservation Board, which will conduct the hearings, has been asked to ensure the process is conducted in accordance to the norms.

The coal block in Kente Extension, spread over an area of 17.6 sq km, is owned by the state-run Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited. The operating rights were awarded to Adani Enterprises Limited, which was selected through a competitive bidding process.