Massive tree felling begins in Raigarh for a pvt co's coal mine project
Locals gathered at the location as and when they learnt about the team of tree cutters reaching the spot and staged demonstration.
Heavy police force was deployed in the region and villagers were chased away from the location, while those who protested hard, were detained and transported them to the local police station and others to circuit house.
The incident took place in Mudagaon, a hamlet under Gram Panchayat Saraitola in Tamnar block, where a large number of trees are slated to be cut down for a private company's coal mine project, a move that local residents have been opposing for days.
On Thursday, tree felling began in the area. Upon learning about the development, a large number of villagers gathered at the site to voice their protest. MLA Vidyawati Sidar also arrived at the scene to join the demonstration but was subsequently detained by the police. Locals told TOI that a heavy police presence, numbering in several hundreds, has been deployed in the area.
When TOI called Raigarh SP Divyang Patel and collector Mayank Chaturvedi for their version, they didn't receive the call.
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According to the information, the gram sabha hearing for Gare Palma Sector II Coal Mine was carried out in year 2019, following which an environment clearance was sanctioned in 2022. Later, the village representatives had filed a case in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and the NGT had cancelled the approval previously granted. However, in 2024, the Ministry of Environment once again issued clearance for the project.
An official said that the affected area includes 14 villages and nine gram panchayats, with a total population of around 9,500.
An environmentalist Rajesh Tripathi in Raigarh said that large-scale deforestation began in the Mudagaon just a day after Chhattisgarh's Finance Minister OP Choudhary publicly promoted environmental conservation during his visit to the area.
On June 25, Minister Choudhary launched the campaign "One Tree in Mother's Name", urging citizens to plant trees as a tribute to their mothers and as a step toward protecting the environment, he said, adding that in less than 24 hours, heavy machinery moved into Mudagaon, clearing large patches of forest for a coal mining project awarded to a private contractor.
According to sources, the tree felling is part of a coal extraction project sanctioned in the region. Dense forestland, rich in biodiversity, is being cleared under heavy police presence, signalling the scale and intensity of the operation.
"These forests are our life," said a tribal villager. "While the govt talks about planting trees, they're allowing our ancestral lands to be destroyed." Congress MLA Sidar stood in their support.
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