IDENTITY

How coal mining is destroying one of India’s densest forests—and its tribals

By Esha Mitra
11 March, 2024

The Established travels to Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo forest to dig deeper into what ails the tribal populations fighting for their land

“If they cut these trees down the ozone layer will burst one day; it will get so hot here that people will burn to death,” Ujjyar Singh Vij, a 34-year-old tribal man whose family has lived in the Hasdeo forest for generations tells The Established. “This isn’t just Save Hasdeo, it is save [the] Earth. I may not be very well-read but living here, I’ve learned about environmental systems and how to live as one with them, not destroy them,” he adds. 

A study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in 2021—one that designated Hasdeo a “no-go” area—stating no new mines should be constructed in Hasdeo apart from those already operational—noted that the forest consisted of “irreplaceable, rich biodiversity and socio cultural values,” and that “sustaining the forest cover and maintaining its overall ecological integrity is essential”.

“This isn’t just Save Hasdeo, it is save [the] Earth," says Ujjyar Singh Vij, a 34-year-old tribal man whose family has lived in the Hasdeo forest for generations

According to the India Climate and Energy Dashboard, India has coal reserves of 361,414 million tonnes, of which about 20 per cent lies in Chhattisgarh

Spanning the state’s Korba, Surajpur and Surguja districts, the Hasdeo forest is often referred to as the lungs of Chhattisgarh. It is home to several animals such as leopards, Indian grey wolves, elephants, striped hyenas, and sloth bears. Moreover, nine mammalian species that inhabit these forests are among those accorded the highest level of protection under India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, the study added. According to the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Chhattisgarh ranks third in the list of states with the largest area of forest cover and Hasdeo is one of India’s densest and largest continuous forest stretches, about thrice the size of the city of Mumbai. It is also where 23 coal blocks, including the Parsa East & Kanta Basan (PEKB) coal blocks, are located. 

The PEKB coal block was allocated by the central government—then held by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)—to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) in 2012 to extract coal for the state of Rajasthan. The first mining phase began in 2013, and RRVUNL contracted out Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) as its Mine Developer and Operator (MDO). Since then, tribal inhabitants of the forest have been protesting vehemently. In December last year, 15,000 trees were felled under heavy police presence to keep tribals from intervening. This marked the beginning of the second phase of mining, going against the recommendations of two of India’s largest environmental bodies—the aforementioned WII and ICFRE.

Tribal communities in the belt have been protesting since 2012 under the banner of Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti. Several legal challenges to the mining operations are currently sub-judice at both the Supreme Court and High Court levels. However, with tree-felling resuming, residents are worried that legal intervention may come too late, if at all. 

A carbon sink  under threat

Vij was among the first local leaders of the movement. He says he began noticing changes in the forests as deals were being made as early as 2009-2010. Responding to news reports of the tree-felling in December 2023 that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took suo moto cognisance of (when courts look into cases of their own accord), the Chhattisgarh forest department said in January this year that over 81,000 trees have been cut in the Hasdeo region since 2012. According to Vij and other activists, this figure is grossly underreported. “This is not our vikas (development); we don’t believe in development that uproots our homes,” says Vij. 

Vij lives in a home made of bricks. “We initially used wood to build our homes but it is illegal to cut trees here, except for if you have to build a mine, of course!” His home also has a solar panel, as do many of the homes in the nearby villages, to run their borewells. Homes closer to the highway are clustered together while those in the forest are far apart from each other, with nothing but trees for kilometres in every direction. However, the tribals here know exactly how to find their way from one tree to the other.

Spanning the state’s Korba, Surajpur and Surguja districts, the Hasdeo forest is often referred to as the lungs of Chhattisgarh

Ever since mines have been built, the forests have become dustier, the serenity has disappeared. Oftentimes, the earth shakes (when the miners conduct blasts) to the extent that people think it’s an earthquake, says Vij. “For us, it is the three systems of jal, jangal, jameen (water, forest, land) that sustain us. They [the government] say they will rehouse us but we don’t want that; we are self-sufficient here, we live at one with nature,” he adds. The forest provides them with food to eat, herbs for healing, leaves to make plates with. The trees are the deities they worship, their ancestors are buried there, their marriages take place there. Historically, culturally, and in terms of livelihood, they have been dependent only on the forest, and losing the forest would prove a devastating, irreversible blow. However, Vij does not want people to forget that it’s not just about what the forest provides them, but rather the importance it holds for the environment as a whole. 

Vij had to withdraw from the day-to-day activities of the Hasdeo Sangharsh Samiti to care for his 10-year-old son who is suffering from Thalassemia. It is also because of his son that Vij cannot completely disengage from the cause. “When we grew up, we had air to breathe, but by the time my son is older he may not have this oxygen or the fresh water to drink because it is the trees that bring rain,” he says.


At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) 26 held in Glasgow in 2021, India promised to hit net-zero emissions by 2070. Yet, its demand for coal is likely to peak only in 2035 to 2040. With greater greenhouse emissions polluting the atmosphere as a result of mining coal and destroying the natural carbon sink provided by Hasdeo, this commitment would be impossible to achieve, says Sudiep Shrivastava, a lawyer who has petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the tree felling and protect Hasdeo. Although the government claims it has planted saplings to offset the damage caused by deforestation, Shrivastava says that most of these saplings have not been planted, and would do little to compensate for the loss of an ancient forest. Furthermore, the expansion of coal mines by AEL in Hasdeo has exacerbated the incidence of human-elephant conflict. The Lemru Elephant Corridor is located in the area to be mined. 

Over 81,000 trees have been cut in the Hasdeo region since 2012

More than 80 per cent of the Hasdeo Arand Coal Fields are forested, according to the WII and ICFRE study

The study by WII and ICFRE also noted that deforestation would have a devastating impact on the water catchment in Hasdeo. “If you ask anyone what would you choose—water or electricity—they would say water; that’s a basic right,” says Shrivastava. According to him, the Congress government that was previously in power in Chhattisgarh paved the way for the coal mines to be constructed. However, today, it is the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government that is “clearing the path for Adani’s profits”. 

The Established reached out to the Chhattisgarh government for its comments and is yet to receive a response. 

Preserving ancient forests for future generations

Like Vij, 30-year-old Suneeta Porte also joined the movement to preserve the forest for future generations. “Generations of my family—and those of all our families—have lived on this land. I’ve seen what happened to the people where the coal mines have already been constructed,” she says. 

During the late winter and early summer months, Porte plants rice crops in her backyard while her six-year-old daughter plays with the small fishes that swim in the water. The water that naturally bubbles up from the ground floods the fields. Water is stored in the ground after the rains that pour abundantly on the forest canopy—one that is slowly disappearing. “The forest is our bank account, we depend on it for everything, without it there will be no life,” she says. When monsoon approaches, around April, Porte walks deep into the forest to scavenge for fruits and herbs that are then in bloom. This also coalesces with an annual festival where the tribals pray to the gods—or trees—for a bountiful year.

In February this year, a large demonstration took place in the forest when members of the Rajasthan legislative assembly from the Bharat Adivasi Party visited to learn about their tribal brethren’s fight in Chhattisgarh. To block the entry of the dignitaries from Rajasthan, a massive police force was deployed at various checkpoints, the protestors said. “We have a tribal minister too but he has forgotten his roots,” said Porte at the protest gathering, referring to Chhattisgarh’s recently elected chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who assumed office in December 2023. 

Inspired by the Chipko Movement, Porte was at the forefront of galvanising the forest’s women to protest for their rights. She believes that forest rights and nari shakti (female power) are intertwined. “I’m ready to die for this cause; if women don’t stand up for the forests who will,” she says. The tribal economy largely lies on the shoulders of women—they are the ones who go scavenging in the forests and work in the fields. They also perform prayer rituals and keep tribal traditions alive, adds Porte. 

Understanding forest rights 

According to the India Climate and Energy Dashboard, India has coal reserves of 361,414 million tonnes, of which about 20 per cent lies in Chhattisgarh. However, more than 80 per cent of the Hasdeo Arand Coal Fields are forested, according to the WII and ICFRE study. Srivastava, in his petition to the Supreme Court, argues that given India’s current consumption patterns and the ecological importance of Hasdeo, mining in this area is unnecessary. 

30-year-old Suneeta Porte was at the forefront of galvanising the forest’s women to protest for their rights

“We are seeing repeated attacks on forests and simply saying it is necessary for development won’t work,” says Umeshwar Singh Armo

“Coal deposits in Hasdeo are higher than in other parts [of India], so it makes it easier to mine here and is more profitable. Plus, the number of people living in these forests is less than those living in other areas that are more residential, so the cost of rehabilitation is also low,” says Srivastava, explaining why Hasdeo is being targeted. While their population may be low, for the tribals in Hasdeo, it's not just a question of rehabilitation, but of tradition and environment.

“We pray to these trees. As it gets hotter, when pollution is getting worse, when people can’t breathe, we all should be praying to these trees. You can get coal from elsewhere but you cannot get this forest back,” states Vij. 

The Constitution of India safeguards Scheduled Tribes against displacement—it guarantees protection of their land against acquisition and encroachment. Twenty gram sabhas (village assemblies) in Chhattisgarh have opposed the construction of mines on their land, including the village of Madanpur in Surguja district. 

“Before extending the coal mines, Adani [AEL] got a farzi (fake) gram sabha done in Ghatbarra village. According to the sarpanch (village head), no gram sabha was ever done. The sarpanch was detained before the tree-felling was started by local police; they didn’t even let him put on proper clothes before they took him away,” says Umeshwar Singh Armo, the sarpanch of the nearby Madanpur village. The villagers elected Armo because of the work he has been doing to raise awareness about protecting Hasdeo and resisting mining. 

India’s Forest (Conservation) Act was amended last year and came into effect in December 2023. The newly amended act was criticised by environmentalists for diluting what could be classified as forest land, thus making it easy for forests to be used for commercial interests, according to a petition filed in the Supreme Court. However, last month, the Supreme Court ordered the government to continue to follow the old “broad and all encompassing” definition of forests. “We are seeing repeated attacks on forests and simply saying it is necessary for development won’t work,” concludes Armo.

READ MORE
empty
CONSCIOUS LIVING
What the unfolding disaster in Himachal Pradesh says about unsustainable development
By Pallavi Pundir
empty
IDENTITY
Mumbai stands to lose its cultural wealth with the ongoing deforestation drive in Aarey Forest
By Anand Singh
empty
CONSCIOUS LIVING
Why India’s rising tiger population poses a threat to local communities
By Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay