MP: Cong protests against felling of trees for coal mine project

Singrauli (MP), Dec 10 (PTI) Congress leaders protested in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, alleging that trees are being felled on a large scale and tribal people are being displaced for a coal mine project of a private entity.

District Collector Gaurav Bainal said Congress is presenting "misleading" information, emphasising that all necessary procedures for the project have been completed and permissions have been duly obtained.

The Congress has alleged that trees are being felled in the forests of Singrauli district to facilitate the granting of three coal mines to the Adani Group.

Recently, the opposition party had raised this issue in the legislative assembly, alleging that eight villages in Singrauli district had been excluded from the notified area to benefit the business conglomerate.

A "fact-finding" committee of Congress arrived in Singrauli on Wednesday. However, the administration prevented the party leaders from entering the forest, said state Congress president Jitu Patwari.

They were not even allowed to meet the affected people and gather facts, which is a serious violation of democratic rights, he alleged.

Patwari was accompanied by Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, former MP Meenakshi Natarajan, and former Leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh, CWC member Kamleshwar Patel and MLA Jaivardhan Singh.

"Despite pressure from police", Congress leaders visited the affected villages in Singrauli and Devsar areas and observed firsthand the ongoing "environmental crisis, complaints of land grabbing, severe pollution caused by coal mines, and the displacement of tribal families," the party said.

The Congress claimed that villagers are being made to sign documents claiming their consent, but in reality, they are being coerced into signing them under duress.

"One tree in the name of the mother and the entire forest in the name of Adani. This is the real policy of the 'double engine' government," Patwari alleged in a statement.

He alleged that more than one million trees are being chopped down for setting up a plant on approximately 4,000 hectares.

Patwari targeted the Modi government.

Leader of the Opposition Singhar said, "The forests of Singrauli are being destroyed, the rights of tribal communities are being continuously violated, and environmental regulations are being openly disregarded." Earlier, Collector Bainal said that the protesters are spreading misleading information, while the truth is that all necessary procedures and permissions have been duly obtained for the project at the Dhirauli Coal Block.

He said the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has approved the second phase of the project. The land involved falls neither within the PESA area nor within the Fifth Schedule.

He claimed that the Gram Sabha consultation and public hearing procedures were completed as per the regulations, and that the Forest Rights Act procedures have also been completed.

The collector said that the tree felling will be done in a phased manner. No one lives in the area where trees will be chopped, he said.

The collector stated that the acquisition process will also be carried out in a phased manner, with the land of Basi, Birdah and surrounding villages to be acquired after the tree felling.

"Everything is being done as per the rules. Continuous communication is maintained with the common people of all the villages", he added. PTI MAS NSK