I

nar ecents tatementChhat tisgarhcm hastol

dthathehasputas tayont heminingacti
vity
oftheHas deof orest
. Thi
sdeci si
onbythegovt.hascomeaf teral ongf i
ghtbytheadi vas
isof
thatar ea.Theadvi sesarepr otesti
ngagainstt
hemi ni
ngi nhas deof rom 2014butthislat
es t
decisionbyt hecm al sobetrayedt hehopeofadivasis
, becaus eifher eal
lywantedt omining
tos t
opt henhewoul dcancel allt
heapprovalgi
venbyt hegover nmentf ortheminingoft hat
areabuti nsteadhej ustputas tayonitsothatthemat terwillcooldownandaf terthatthe
minewoul ds tartoperati
ng.Thi sshowsthenatureofgover nmentf uncti
oningnotonl yi
n
theChhat t
isgarhbutal loverthecountry,i
tbecomet het r
endt oputas t
ayons omepr oj
ect
afterfacingpeopl esbacklashbutgover nmentultimatelystartthatpr oj
ectaft
erthemat ter
cool down.

Sobefor edi scus si

ngaboutt hepeopl esresistancewemus thavet ounder standwhat
actuallythispr ojectis,thisprojectisapr oj
ectofcoal miningint hefor estofhas deoarand.
Thisforestisver yr ichinbi odi
ver s
ityandal s
ohomet oalar geno. Ofel ephant sandadi vas
is.
Bot htheadi vas i
sandani malslargelydependedont hisforest.Thisfor estislocatedinthe
300km f rom t hecapi t
al ofRaipuri nthedist
rictofs arguja.Thisregional s ohasahugecoal
reserve.amongt hiscoal reservet herei
nonecoal blocknamedPARSAEASTKENTEBASAN
(pekb)whi chhasbeenal locatedt otheRajast hanr ajyavidyutut padanl td.Af ull
yowned
subs i
diar
yofRaj as t
hangovt .
In2007andRaj as t
hangovt .Formedaj oints tockcompany
witht headani mi ningnamedpar s akantacollieri
esltd.2007f orthemi ningoft hatareain
whi chadani enter pri
sesl tdhas74%wher easRRVUNLhas26%.

Thi
sstandintotalvi
olationoftheSupr emeCour tjudgementof201 4whi chgaveordert hat
st
ateownedcompanywhi chwi l
lbeall
ocatedcoal f
iel
df orminingshoul dfor
bidinforming
anall
i
ancewi ththeprivateent erpr
iseformini
ngact i
vity.Butthisdecis
ionofcourthasbeen
cl
earl
yviol
atedbyt heRaj asthangovt .
inthemi ni
ngofcoal f
rom PEKBor igi
nall
yPEKBhas
beenall
ocatedtotheRRVUNLi n2007butaf terthecoal gatescam alltheall
ocatedmi nes
hasbeencancelledbyt hecour tbutin2015thiscoalblockhasbeenr eall
ocatedtothe
RRVUNLagai nfor30year sandagai nt hi
sti
meRRVUNLchoos ethepar sakantacoll
ieri
eslt
d
asapartnerforminingcoal underthes chemeofMDO( MINEDEVELOPERCUM OPERATOR) .

Notonlyt hisrul
ebutvar iousotherruleshavebeenvi ol
atedint hepr oces sofmi ni
ngover
thi
scoalfi
eld.Ther ei
sal s
oacl earviol
ationofPESAactbyt hecompanywhi l
es tar
t
operati
ngatt hecoalfi
eld.Accor di
ngt othePESAact ,
1996inal l
t hosear eawhi chcome
underthes chedule5listforthediversi
onoff orestl
andgover nmentmus tgetappr ovalfr
om
thegram sabha, butthisrulehavebeent ot
allyviol
atedinthecas e.Appr ovalsofgram
sabhahavebeennott akenbyt hegover nmentbef orestart
ingt hisproject.Insteadofit
somedupl i
categr am sabhapaperhasbeenpr epar
edbyt hegovt .ofRaj ast
hanand
Chhatti
sgarhandadani i
ns omegues thouseands i
gnedbyt hem i l
l
egally.

Besidestheviol
ati
onofPESAacttherei
sals
ot ot
alvi
olati
onofenvi
ronments
ust
ainabil
i
ty.
In
2010thi
swhol eareahasbeendecl
aredastheNOGOar eabytheenvir
onmentmini
str
ybut
aft
erthatRajast
hangovernmentsubmit
tedproposal
againandagaininfr
ontof
environmentmi ni
str
yandf i
nall
yJ AIRAM rames hfi
nal
l
ygaveenvi r
onmentcl earancet oiti
n
the201 1bys t
ati
ngthatitdoes n’
tcomeundert hemainareaofhas deoand itislocatedin
thefringebuthealsos aidthatnof urtherclear
ancewil
lbegiventoanyot hermi nef
ield
othert hanPEKB butlatertwoot hermi nefi
eldPARSAANDKANTEEXTENSI ONhasbeen
grantedt otheRRVUNL. Wildl
i
feins ti
tuti
onofIndi
aalsosuggest
edt hatPEKBs houldbe
l
imitedandnof ur
thermi neshouldbes tar
ted.

Coal whichhasbeendugatt hePEKBi soft heG11gradewher easRRVUNLi spayingf ort

he
G9gr ade.Tur ni
ng G1 1intoG9r equir
esapr ocesscalled“Benef iciat
ion”. PKCLi scharging
RRVUNLf orthisalso.RRVUNLi salsogr antedAELt heowner shipovert hel owergr adecoal
sif
tedoutdur i
ngthebenef ici
ationprocess,s oalargeno. Ofhi gherqual ityofcoal grade
wer eals
or ejectedbyAELi nthenameofl owergr adecoal andwer ebei ngs ol
dbyt heAELi n
theblackmar ket(asclai
m byt helocalactivistal
oks hukla,local acti
vist),howevert hedr af
t
model contractissuedbyt hecoal ministr
yin201 5s t
at esthatt he“ r
ejectsf rom thewas hery
shallbethepr opertyoft heauthorit
y”.

Thiscoal bl
ocksar eallott
edt ot hes t
ateownedpowergener ati
oncompanyi ntheviewt hat
thecoal wi
l
l beavailabletothes ecompani esinthecheappr i
cesot hattheyt hechar gesof
electri
cit
ywi l
lbel es
sfort hegener al publ
ic.Butdat ashowst hatthepr i
cewhi chRRVUNLi s
payingt oPKCLi smoreexpens ivet henwhatcoal Indi
aischar gi
ngf orthes amequal i
tyof
coal.Tot al
pr i
cewhi chRRVUNLi spayingt oPKCLi s2267.12/
tonnewher easf orthesame
qualityofcoal SECLofcoal I
ndiaischar ging1 992.
96/tonne.Youcans eet hehugedi f
ference
i
npr icebetweent hepr i
ceofcoal I
ndiaandt hepriceofPKCL. Ult
imater esultofthispricewil
l
falli
nt heshoulderoft hecons umerandi talsoleadstot heshortageofcoal i
nt hes t
ate.
Therear ealsot hepreli
mi naryinformat i
onmemor andum s howst hatthe“ chhabr aplant
wer es uppl
iedG1 0qualit
yofcoal andkal i
sindhands uratgarhmi neswer es uppliedG11coal
i
nt henameofG9coal ’.

I
niti
all
ywhent hePEKBmi neswer ebei ngal l
ocatedt othePKCLi n201 3thepr opos edpl an
wast hatmi ningwi l
l takeplacei ntwophas esandi nt hefi
rstphas e1 40mtcoal willbe
extr
actedby2028t hent her eforestationoft hatareawi l
lbetakepl acet henonl ythemi ning
ofremainingar eaofPEKBwi lltakepl ace.Butnowonl ytheyas kedf ort heper missionf orthe
miningofs econdphas ewhi chwass uppos edt otakeplaceafter2028s tatingthatt hey
managedt oext ractonl y82mtcoal f
rom thepr opos ed140mtands aidt hatt het her eisno
furt
hercoal int hepr opos edar eaoft hef ir
stphas eandt heywantt os tar tthemi ningof
secondphas enow. Thiswhol edr amar ai
sest wobas icquesti
ons1 .Didt hemi ningpl anwas
fl
awed( theymadepl anwi thoutcons i
der i
nganyt hingthenther emus tst ri
ngentact ionmus t
betakenagai ns tt
hos ewhomadet hepl an)or2. Didadanireallydeliver edal lthecoal that
werebeingex tractorhi des omeamountofcoal foritsownus er at
hert handel i
veri t
RRVUNL.

Whateverthecaseis
, t
hisres
ult
sint
helos
sofhugeamountfi
nancialr
esour
cesofgovt
.
ul
ti
matelyofgeneralpubli
candital
sos
howshowt hepr
ivat
eplayersareus
ingthenat
ural
resourcesfort heirownpr ofitinalli
ancewi ththegovt .whetherthegovt.i
sofbj porof
congress. Largeno.bour geoi selementi nt hes ocietyarguethatcapital
is
twor khardf orhi
s
profi
tandr eachedt ot het op, butweal lknowt hathowt heyreachtothet opbybr ibingthe
govt.bygi vingthem hugeamountoff unddur i
ngt het i
meofel ect
ionandwhoknowswhat
otherthingst hepol i
ti
ciandemandi nr et
ur nforhel pingthem ingaini
ngpr ofi
t.Datas hows
that2000t o201 4wast hemos tprosperingper iodf ortheadanisandt hi
sper i
odcor respond
tothenar endr amodi asthechi efmi nist
eroft heGuj ar
at,lar
geamountofgovt . pr
ojects
wer egrant edtoadani s ,t
hi sisnotj ustthecoi ncidence.