Staff Reporter:
THE Chhattisgarh Assembly
descended into chaos on Tuesday
as Congress accused the State
Government of large-scale ille
gal deforestation and fake Gram
Sabhas to approve coal mining
in Hasdeo and Tamnar regions.
The allegations sparked heated
exchanges, brief suspension of
Congress members, and quick
revocation by the Speaker after
order was restored.
During Zero Hour, Leader of
Opposition Charandas Mahant
led an adjournment motion,
claiming the government violat
ed the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and
National Green Tribunal (NGT)
orders by permitting widespread
tree felling in Hasdeo, Tamnar,
Bastar, and Surguja.
Congress
alleged lakhs of trees were cut,
Gram Sabhas manipulated for said forest cover in Chhattisgarh
had increased by 94.75 square
kilometres, while tree cover out
side forest land had increased by
702 square kilometres, the highest in the country.
mining clearances, and protesters faced police harassment.
Demanding an immediate halt
to felling and action against officials, Opposition members
described it as “unprecedented
destruction” of forests and
wildlife. Seeking a detailed
debate, Congress members
described the situation as an
unprecedented destruction of
forests and wildlife under the
present government.
Responding to the charges,
Forest and Climate Change
Minister Kedar Kashyap reject
ed the allegations, stating that the
Vishnu Deo Sai-led government
gives priority to the protection
of forests, wildlife, tribals, and the
environment. He said the government was working promptly
for conservation while also
ensuring development. Citing
data from the Forest Survey of
India, Dehradun, the Minister
The Minister informed the
House that in the last two years,
the State had approved five mining cases involving the diversion
of 1,300.869 hectares of forest
land
under the Forest
Conservation Act. He denied allegations of fake public hearings,
lathi-charges, protests, and
blockades in Surguja, the Hasdeo
Aranya coalfield, Tamnar, and
Bastar.
According to him, all forest land diversion had received
approval from the Government
of India and tree felling was carried out strictly as per rules, limited to the minimum number
required under approved proposals.
Minister Kashyap said that
physical assault after being
accused of theft. It is alleged that
members of an influential family stripped the child and beat
compensatory afforestation was
mandatory in all such cases,
either on equivalent non-forest
land or on double the area of
degraded forest land. Against the
forest land diverted in the past
two years, around 17.8 lakh
saplings would be planted over
1,780.109 hectares at a rate of
1,000 plants per hectare. He also
said that separate wildlife conservation plans were prepared for
each project to safeguard biodiversity in mining-affected
regions.
Addressing concerns related
to Tamnar, the Minister denied
any large-scale felling of green
trees on forest and revenue land
in Raigarh district. He stated that
two cases approved under the
Forest Conservation Act in
Tamnar involved the felling of
6,650 trees strictly in accordance
with rules. Gram Sabhas in the area were conducted as per prescribed procedures. He said
Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited had
received approval in January 2023 for diversion of 214.869
hectares of forest land for the Gare Pelma Sector–2 coal
mines affecting 18 villages, and permission to fell 3,684
trees was granted in February 2025, of which only 1,124
trees had been cut so far.
The Minister further said that in the Gare Pelma coal
block 4/1, allotted to Jindal Steel & Power Limited, 5,526
trees were felled on the approved forest land of 91.179
hectares.
He maintained that all actions were in compliance with the Forest Rights Act, public hearing norms, and
NGT orders, and that tree felling permissions were
issued only after obtaining FRA no-objection certificates
from the Collector.
Rejecting allegations of police excesses or coercive action
by industrial representatives, Minister Kashyap said there
had been no unlawful action against villagers or public representatives. He also dismissed claims of ongoing large
scale sit-in protests, stating that all proceedings were con
ducted on site in the presence of concerned department
officials and in accordance with established rules.
On the Hasdeo region, often described as the ‘lungs of
Chhattisgarh,’ the Minister denied claims of devastation
and mass tree felling.
He said allegations of lakhs of trees
being cut, whether recorded or unrecorded, were incor
rect. He referred to comprehensive biodiversity studies
conducted by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and
Education and the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, in
line with NGT and Supreme Court directions. The studies
had placed the Parsa East Kete Basen and Parsa coal blocks
in the “can be considered” category, and the government
had acted without violating their provisions.
The Minister also rejected accusations of dense tree
felling in the Aari Dongri area of Bhanupratappur in Bastar,
stating that approvals granted in 2008 and 2015 for diversion of 138.960 hectares of forest land for Godavari Power
and Ispat had led to the felling of 28,922 trees strictly in
accordance with the law and approved mining plans.
Unconvinced, Congress MLAs trooped to the Well, raising slogans. Speaker disallowed the motion per rules, named
and suspended them briefly, then revoked it as House proceedings resumed.