In Chhattisgarh's Hasdeo forests, environmental nod granted for mining in Kente extension coal block

📌 Summary:

• The Environment Ministry granted environmental clearance (EC) on June 24 for mining in the Kente extension integrated coal block in Chhattisgarh's Hasdeo-Arand forests, with projected capacity of 9 million tonnes of coal per annum
• The final EC was linked to an in-principle forest clearance (issued June 9); the expert appraisal committee had recommended EC in January 2025
• This is the third major coalfield cleared in Hasdeo (after operational Parsa and Parsa East Kente Basan/PEKB mines) — an area once earmarked a 'no-go zone' to protect forests and wildlife
• The block (1,760 hectares, Surguja district) was allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Ltd in 2015, with Adani Group as mine developer/operator; coal will feed Rajasthan's Chhabra and Suratgarh plants
• Environmental cost: 1,742.6 hectares of forest to be diverted; ~4.48 lakh trees to be felled in phases (~98,000 in the first five years); 56 families across four villages to be rehabilitated
• Ecological significance: Hasdeo-Arand is 'Central India's green lungs' — ~640 plant species, nine Schedule-1 species, 40–50 elephants, a tiger corridor, and the catchment of the Hasdeo river (a Mahanadi tributary)
• A 2021 Wildlife Institute of India (WII) assessment had recommended no mining beyond the already-operational PEKB; local tribal communities and the Congress oppose the approvals citing deforestation

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — environmental clearance/EIA process, forest-vs-development trade-offs, biodiversity and tribal-rights (FRA) concerns in mining

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Hasdeo-Arand forests are in Surguja district, Chhattisgarh; catchment of the Hasdeo river (a Mahanadi tributary)
• Kente extension coal block allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Ltd; Adani Group is MDO
• Wildlife Institute of India (WII) conducted the 2021 biodiversity assessment
• Schedule-1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act gives species the highest legal protection

🔑 Key Term: Environmental Clearance (EC) — mandatory prior approval under the EIA framework for projects with significant environmental impact, granted after appraisal of impacts and safeguards.