Chhattisgarh Panel: Cancel Parsa Coal Mine Clearance - Fake Gram Sabha Proposals

Raipur, Nov 6 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh State Scheduled Tribe Commission (CSSTC) has found irregularities in getting environment clearance for the Parsa coal mine in the Surguja division and said the green nod was obtained based on forged documents related to gram sabha proposals.
Based on its findings, the commission has recommended cancellation of forest clearance granted to the proposed mining at the Parsa coal block in the biodiversity-rich belt which has faced stiff opposition from local villagers and green activists.
The panel has also suggested holding a fresh gram sabha (village council meeting) in the affected villages of Salhi, Hariharpur and Fatepur for seeking permission for the mega project.
As per norms, it is mandatory for all projects which require forestland to obtain consent of the affected gram sabhas (village councils).
The commission carried out its investigation after local villagers complained that environment and forest clearance for the Parsa project was obtained based on fake documents.
Reacting to the panel's recommendations, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao said the officials concerned will look into the mater.
Tree felling for the Parsa coal mine, allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUNL), in the biodiversity-rich Hasdeo Arand region of the Surguja division started last month amid heavy police security. RRVUNL, a state-run undertaking, subsequently selected the Adani group as the mine developer and operator (MDO) for the project.
In April 2022, the then-Congress government granted final approval for non-forestry use of 841.548 hectares of forest land for the Parsa coal mine spread across Surguja and Surajpur districts.
However, in November 2022, the state government, in a letter to the Director General of Forests, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, requested to cancel the approval of non-forestry use of the forest land for the project.
"The CSSTC, in a letter to the Surguja Collector, has recommended to halt deforestation exercise for the project and provided him with the commission's findings over complaints pertaining to forgery in gram sabha proposals," panel chairperson Bhanu Pratap Singh told PTI on Wednesday.
The commission carried out its investigation after local villagers complained that environment and forest clearance for the project was obtained based on fake documents, he said.
The recommendations letter to the collector has signatures of CSSTC chairperson Singh and two members, Amrit Toppo and Ganesh Singh Dhruv, but not of the commission's secretary.
Asked about it, Singh said the commission's secretary declined to sign on the report and added he has written to the Governor about the same.
As per the commission's letter to the collector, 41 residents from Salhi, Hariharpur, Fatepur villages in Surguja district and Tara, Charpara and Janardanpur villages in Surjapur district had submitted a complaint on August 3, 2021.
As per the complaint, environmental clearance for the Parsa mine was obtained by preparing fake proposals of the gram sabha of Salhi, Hariharpur, Fatepur and Ghatbarra villages which will be affected by the project.
The villagers pointed out that the area where coal mining has been proposed falls under the 5th Schedule of the Constitution (related to administration of tribal areas in some states) and the livelihood of its residents depends on water, forest and land, according to the letter.
The commission examined the statements of the applicants and relevant documents, during which it was found the resolution passed in the gram sabha was not in accordance with the law. Hence, on May 30 this year, it directed the Surguja's Divisional Commissioner to suspend the process related to mining in Parsa and maintain status quo, it said.
During a hearing convened by the CSSTC on September 10 this year in Surguja district, relevant documents were examined and statements of the applicants and non-applicants were recorded.
During the gram sabha held on January 27, 2018, in Salhi and on January 24, 2018 in Hariharpur, villagers discussed and gave consent to certain proposals mentioned from agenda nos. 1 to 21.
The gram sabha head, the then-sarpanch, the incumbent sarpanch and the panchayat secretary present at the hearing confirmed that proposals up to no. 21 were discussed and approved at the meeting. The proposal written on no. 22 was, however, added fraudulently after the meet, the letter said.
The proposal no. 22 was regarding no objection to opening coal block, it said.
After its probe, the commission concluded that to obtain environmental clearance for the Parsa coal block and permission for diversion of forest land, RRVUNL allegedly misused officers and employees of the district administration, the letter said.
It is clear from statements, evidence and documents submitted by both parties that there were many irregularities in the gram sabha proposal document presented by the forest department for land diversion. It was illegal and written in a forged manner, it said.
The commission recommended to the Surguja collector to annul the final approval issued by the forest department on April 6, 2022, for the Parsa coal block and hold a fresh gram sabha in Salhi, Hariharpur and Fatepur and inform the panel about it within 15 days.
A senior RRVUNL official accused the CSSTC chairperson of taking unilateral decision in context of the project and acting out of malice. The panel did not take cognizance of replies and documents submitted by RRVUNL, he claimed.