Mahan Coal Limited is a 50:50 joint venture between Hindalco Industries of the Aditya Birla Group and Essar Power. It plans to extract coal from the Mahan coal block of Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh and supply it to the proposed power plants of Essar and Hindalco. Essar Power has invested INR 4,000 crore for a 1,000-megawatt power project, while Hindalco is setting up a 750-megawatt captive power plant and has invested INR 2,400 crore in it.
To mine the coal, Mahan Coal Limited needs access to 1,000 hectares of forestland, which falls under the environment ministry's no-go zone. This forestland is home to Asia's oldest Sal forests, besides being a source of livelihood for the tribal communities living there, who collect and sell forest produce, such as mahua and tendu leaves. These communities do not want the Mahan forests to be dug up for coal and have come together under the banner of Mahan Sangharsh Samiti (MSS).
In January 2011, a survey done by the Central Pollution Control Board and IIT Delhi identified the Singrauli coalfield region (of which Mahan is a part) as the seventh most critically polluted area in the country. The region scored 81.73 on the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index that led to a moratorium (moratorium means a legally authorised postponement/delay before some obligations are discharged) on further expansion of mining in the area. But soon after the order, the Madhya Pradesh State Pollution Control Board submitted a remedial plan and lifted the moratorium.
To grant permission to mine coal, the environment ministry required the company to meet 36 conditions, including the holding of free and fair Village Assembly meetings for the people to decide whether they wanted a mine or not. In March 2013, a special Village Assembly convened in Amelia village in Mahan was reportedly fraudulent. Although 184 people attended the meeting, the resolution, which showed approval for Essar's mining project, had 1,125, signatures; most of them were forged--seven of the signatories had been dead for three years. Despite this, in December 2013, the project was granted Stage II forest clearance and Stage I clearance in February 2014.
In 2014, the Mahan Sangharsh Samiti filed a case in the National Green Tribunal challenging the forest clearance accorded to the proposed coal mine. In March 2015, the allocation of coal mine was cancelled.
However, the people are still struggling to get compensation and rehabilitation due to the displacement caused by Essar Mahan power plant. From December 2016 to March 2017, community members held a protest pressurising the local administration to resolved land acquisition issues. But during the protest six persons were arrested and jailed for five days.
Again in 2016, the Ministry of Coal allotted the Amelia coal block to THDC India Limited (earlier called Tehri Hydro Development Corporation) to supply coal to the Khurja Super Thermal Power Project. However, people whose land was acquired were not paid any compensation and were told to not carry out any work in their homes where land was acquired.
By 2019, many people affected by the Essar Mahan power plant were resettled in areas with sub-par living conditions and lack of facilities. A villager told the media that many were compensated with a meagre amount of INR 8,000 as opposed to the promised sum.
In March 2020, THDC India Limited stated in its monthly report that "an initial list of eligible PAFs (project-affected families) for resettlement benefits has been finalised”. However, District Collector K.V.S. Choudary said that the publication of the list has been delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for more compensation than promised
Demand for rehabilitation
Refusal to give up land for the project
Demand for promised compensation
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Both
Forest and Non-Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
6400
Type of investment:
Investment Made
Year of Estimation
2014
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-implementation/violation of FRA
Non-rehabilitation of displaced people
Incorrect estimation of compensation
Violation of free prior informed consent
Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Supreme Court of India; National Green Tribunal
Case Number
Writ Petition (Criminal) No.120 of 2012; Appeal No. 77/2014
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
From December 2016 to March 2017, community members held a protest pressurising the local administration to resolve land acquisition issues. But during the protest six persons were arrested and jailed for five days.
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Mahan, Singrauli
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Ministry of Coal; Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Aditya Birla Group, Essar Power Limited, Hindalco Industries Limited, THDC India Limited
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Gond and other tribal communities
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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