Environment Ministry to decide on Mahan coal block soon

Union Environment Ministry is likely to announce its decision on Mahan coal block in Madhya Pradesh soon. A government source today said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is working on the files related to the Mahan coal block.

Asked whether a decision could be expected tomorrow, the source said, "Possibly, I am not sure". The block, located in Singrauli district, was jointly allocated to Essar and Hindalco-- Aditya Birla Group's flagship company, for their thermal power plant.

If the block is cleared, it will provide coal to Essar Power's 1,000-MW plant and Hindalco's 750-MW facility in Madhya Pradesh. Environment Ministry had recently granted stage-I approval for opening of three stalled coal-blocks in the fringe of the Hasdeo-Arand region in Chattisgarh.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace has said it would sent a "high level fact finding mission" to Singrauli coalfields to "understand the impact coal mining has had on people, livelihoods and the ecology."

"The five-member team comprising MPs, noted human rights activists and experts on mining will visit Singrauli between 9th and 10th of July 2011," the NGO said in a statement.

Retired High Court Judge Suresh Hosbet and CPI(M) MP in Lok Sabha M B Rajesh are the prominent members of the fact- finding team. Greenpeace said the team will take stock of the existing impact of coal mining on Singrauli especially in the context of more forest blocks being allotted and given fast track approval for coal mining through the Group of
Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.