Demand for ban on deforestation in Hasdeo Aranya

Citizens’ organizations celebrated Rakshabandhan with the resolution to protect trees

Raipur (Team Newsbuddy): The state government, which raised the slogan ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam Ka’, is destroying the environment and biology of Chhattisgarh by cutting lakhs of trees in the Hasdeo Aranya area and handing them over to Adani. The common people of the state will not accept this under any circumstances. Activists of CPI(M), CITU, Janam, Janwadi Mahila Samiti, SFI, Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch and various citizens’ organizations tied rakhis to the trees and made this announcement through a protest demanding a ban on coal excavation and tree cutting in Chhattisgarh Hasdeo Aranya. These organizations demanded immediate stop to the anti-people decision of the state government to cut lakhs of trees in the Hasdeo area by the Forest Department through the permission of Kente Extension. In the protest organized in DD Nagar, these organizations said that this decision of the state government is also a violation of the recommendation of the Wildlife Institute and the unanimous resolution of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly.

It is to be noted that the proposal for diversion of forest land for coal mining in Kente Extension Coal Block situated in Hasdeo Aranya area has been recommended by the Forest Divisional Officer, Sarguja. This recommendation of the Forest Divisional Officer has cleared the way for destruction of rich forest land by approving another mining project in Hasdeo Aranya.

This decision of the state government is not only contrary to the recommendations of the Wildlife Institute of India to ban mining in Hasdeo Aranya but is also in contempt of the resolution of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly in which it was unanimously resolved to cancel all the coal blocks of Hasdeo Aranya and a letter was written to the Central Government on behalf of the then government for this. In the proposal sent by the Forest Department to the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests, it is proposed to clear 1742 hectares of dense forest for mining operations, which is 97% of the area of the project. In which about 5 lakh trees will be cut.

It is noteworthy that Lemru Elephant Reserve is located at a distance of only 3 kilometers from this project. In this regard, the former Congress government had issued letters on 13-08-2020 and 19 January 2021 and raised objections to this project, citing the seriousness of issues such as elephant conservation and prevention of elephant conflict, environmental protection, biodiversity and water availability. It is also noteworthy that the Wildlife Institute has also clearly mentioned in its study on the biodiversity of Hasdeo Aranya that Hasdeo is an important wildlife habitat and any mining in it will increase the problem of elephant-human conflict on a large scale to such an extent that it will be difficult for the state government to handle it. The local people had also registered strong opposition to this in the public hearing of environmental approval. This exposes the real face of the BJP government’s commitment to Adani’s loot by destroying the lives, livelihoods and culture of the tribals in the entire state despite having a tribal Chief Minister. CPI(M), people’s organizations and civil society have demanded the state government to immediately reconsider this anti-people decision and withdraw it and have declared strong opposition to it at every level. Dharmaraj Mohapatra, Advocate Bharti, RV Bharti, Ratan Gondane, Rekha Gondane, Dilip Bhagat, Ajay Kannauje, Dr. Naresh Sahu, Shekhar Nag, Rimesh Lahare were also prominently involved in this demonstration.