By way of PTI
AMBIKAPUR: The Chhattisgarh wooded area division on Tuesday introduced a tree chopping workout to pave the best way for get started of the Parsa coal mining task within the Surguja department, triggering sturdy opposition from native villagers who pressured the government to halt their motion after 300 bushes have been axed.
The transfer got here days after the Chhattisgarh executive granted the general popularity of non-forestry use of wooded area land within the Parsa coal mining task house.
Consistent with villagers, they learnt in regards to the deforestation workout early within the morning and rushed to the spot to sign in their objection.
On April 6, the state executive had given the general popularity of non-forestry use of 841.
538 hectares of wooded area land for the Parsa coal mine unfold throughout Surguja and Surajpur districts in northern a part of the state.
The mine has been allocated to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUNL).
“As many as 300 bushes have been felled in Janardanpur village (Surajpur district) below the Ramanujnagar wooded area vary for the Parsa coal mine task. After the objection via native villagers, the paintings used to be stopped,” a neighborhood wooded area reliable mentioned.
“Round 1,590 bushes are to be reduce on this house for the task. Additional motion on this path will likely be taken once you have directives from senior officers,” he added.
On getting details about the deforestation paintings in Janardanpur which is with regards to Salhi village (Surguja district), citizens of project-affected villages reached there, mentioned Ramlal Kariyam, a resident of Salhi.
Over 50 police group of workers have been deployed to facilitate the deforestation paintings, he added.
“The citizens of Salhi, Fatehpur and Hariharpur villages had been protesting in opposition to the task for a very long time. We have now even demanded a probe into solid gram sabha paperwork in keeping with which clearances had been given for the task,” he mentioned.
“This wooded area is a part of the biodiversity-rich and ecologically delicate Hasdeo Arand area. Mining on this house is not going to simplest lead to displacement of native tribals but in addition motive destruction to the surroundings. We can now not permit this house to get destroyed,” mentioned Kariyam, who’s related to the Hasdeo Arand Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, an outfit spearheading the agitation in opposition to tree chopping and elevating different environmental problems.
Convener of the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan (CBA), Alok Shukla, termed the wooded area division’s transfer as “very unhappy” and claimed that to increase receive advantages to corporates, constitutional rights of tribals are being beaten.
The CBA has been combating for rights of tribals and surroundings conservation.
“It is extremely unhappy that the method for the task is being carried ahead via crushing the constitutional rights of tribals and ignoring their welfare. The state executive didn’t even imagine it suitable to research the pretend Gram Sabha proposals and below company drive, the felling of bushes began in the dead of night,” Shukla claimed.