Hasdeo Arand is a large stretch of very dense forest in Central India’s Chhattisgarh. In this forest lie 30 coal blocks, of which three have already commenced mining operations. Parsa Open Cast Mine is one such block, covering more than 900 hectares of forest and agricultural land in Surguja district. The Parsa block operates under Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited, with an aim to produce five million tonnes of coal per annum (MTPA). 

The tribespeople, civil society organisations and political outfits have vehemently opposed the diversion of forestland for coal mining. They have raised concerns over the irreversible damage to the ecology of the forest, its biodiversity as well as to the life and livelihoods of the communities dependent on Hasdeo Arand for generations. At the same time, the forest-dwellers have been demanding land titles under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

In 2010, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) identified Hasdeo Arand as a “no-go region” or mining-prohibited zone. However, the ministry scrapped the provision in 2011 and granted Stage I forest clearance to Tara, Parsa East and Kante Basan (PEKB) blocks, reportedly under pressure from other ministries. 

In March 2012, the MoEFCC granted Stage II clearance to the PEKB block for open cast mining on over 2,000 hectares of land, which was likely to affect more than 400 families in five villages in Surguja district. 

Opposing the project, a local lawyer filed a petition against the clearance in the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT directed the MoEFCC to seek fresh advice from the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) and ordered the suspension of all mining activity in the area till the MoEFCC passed further orders following the law. However, the Supreme Court put a partial stay on the NGT decision in 2014. It stated that mining work need not be suspended but that the rest of the NGT guidelines must be complied with.

In January 2015, 20 Gram Sabhas (Village Assemblies) passed resolutions opposing the auction of coal mines in the Hasdeo Arand region. The resolution stated that the mines violated the provisions of the FRA and, therefore, they refused to consent to the mines. 

In [January 2016](https://cprindia.org/system/tdf/articles/Human_Rights_Law_Journal(Kanchi_Kohli), final published.pdf?file=1&type=node&id=6783), district-level authorities revoked the community forest rights for Ghatbarra, one of the affected villages, citing the cause of disturbance to mining operations. The people opposed the decision, calling it ‘unconstitutional’. 

In August 2016, the RRVUNL sought forest and environmental clearances for the Parsa coal block, which intensified the protests. The villagers organised several public meetings and appealed to the state and Union government to curb the impact of the mines and improve the implementation of the FRA and Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. 

In December 2016, the company also applied to expand the capacity of the PEKB mines from 10 MTPA to 15 MTPA. The MoEFCC granted environmental clearance to the project in August 2018, despite public opposition. After much deliberation, on 15 January 2019, the FAC also decided to grant in-principal approval to the Parsa coal block on the condition that the state must confirm the presence or absence of very dense forest in the area. Notably, the affected Gram Sabhas did not give their consent. Regardless, on 13 February 2019, the MoEFCC granted Stage I clearance to the project. 

In defiance, residents of 20 villages protested against the government’s decision in May 2019 under the banner of Hasdeo Arand Bachao Sankarsh Samiti. Between October and December that year, they staged multiple sit-in protests against land acquisition for coal mining. According to Alok Shukla, convener of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, the settlement of forest rights of the Gond tribe remains incomplete. Until 2020, the land acquisition was reportedly underway. 

On 21 October 2021, the MoEFCC granted Stage-II forest clearance for the project and on 6 April 2022, the Chhattisgarh government granted the final approval of non-forestry use of land and coal mining for Parsa Opencast Coal Mining project with 15 conditions.

Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, an NGO which has been raising questions over mining projects in Handeo Aranya Forest region, claimed that the state government violated the provisions given under fifth schedule of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, and Forest Rights Act, 2006.

In December 2022, the Supreme Court refused to ban the Parsa coal block mineral project. The judge denied interim relief saying it will not come in the way of development.

In December 2023, trees were felled amid police protection for the Parsa East and Kete Basan (PEKB) Phase-2 expansion coal mines in Hasdeo Arand area of ​​​​Surguja district. People protesting against coal mining in Hasdeo area were detained by the police. Although Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai gave a statement in the Assembly premises that he has received information about people protesting against deforestation, no arrests were made.

Thousands of trees have been cut in the forest spread over 137 hectares in the Hasdeo Arand area. It is alleged that more than 2.50 lakh trees are to be cut here in the coming days for the PEKB coal mine.

On 24 March 2024, unidentified individuals allegedly set the protest site of the Hasdeo Aranya Jungle Bachao Andolan on fire. This incited widespread condemnation and distress. “Some unidentified miscreants reached the site late at night and torched our stage at Hariharpur. We still do not know who did this, but who will it be, other than the people we are protesting against?” Ramlal Kariyam from the Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti told The Mooknayak.

Despite continuous protest by tribals against the project, the deforestation drive in Chhattisgarh’s Pendramar forest started for the second phase of the PEKB mining project in August 2024. The police detained more than 100 villagers who had been protesting against coal mining in the ecologically sensitive Hasdeo area, according to activists. However, the charge denied by the law enforcement agency.