Tarushi Aswani: Government Assents to Coal Mining in Hasdeo Forests in Central India - tribal women continue their resistance against destruction of forests

By Dilip -
A decade of resistance against mining activity, displacement, and deforestation met with defeat on April 6, when the Chhattisgarh government gave its final assent for felling of trees and commencement of mining activity in Hasdeo in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Back in 2011, the gram sabha (village assembly) of Ghatbarra village in the Hasdeo Arand forests passed a resolution opposing coal mining in the forests. Over ten years later, villagers in the area are determined to press on with their protests, calling on the government to halt the wanton destruction of India’s forest tracts.

The Hasdeo Arand region in Chhattisgarh’s northern district of Sarguja is one of the largest blocks of forests in central India. It extends over 170,000 hectares and its forests are home to over 350 species of animals. Running through Hasdeo and its adjacent villages is the Hasdeo River – the lifeline of this under-attack forest region. While the region houses great biodiversity, the forests haven’t been designated as protected areas; such designation would have insulated them against exploitation of their natural resources....






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