Mahan coal block won’t be auctioned, coal min says in RTI reply

Times of India: Bhopal: Sunday, 22 March 2015.

Union coal ministry has made it clear that Mahan coal block in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh will not be auctioned, following environment ministry's recommendation to keep it off mining limits.

The decision was known in reponse to an RTI query by Greenpeace. This deals another blow to Essar Energy, which hoped to mine the forest to supply coal for its nearby power plant.

Greenpeace senior campaigner Priya Pillai said, "After being termed "anti-national" by sections of this government, it is refreshing to see them accepting what Greenpeace and Mahan Sangharsh Samiti (MSS) have been saying for years. This is a fabulous forest, home to endangered species and crucial to the livelihoods of thousands and that is why it needs protection."

Mahan coal block was earlier allocated in 2006 to Essar Power for its end-use plants. However, the mine was de-allocated on Supreme Court's directive last year.

Speaking from Amelia village in the Mahan forest block, Bechanlal of the MSS said, "We will continue to fight for recognition of our community rights over the forest. This is not the end of our struggle. It's the start of a new phase."

According to a Greenpeace press release, ministry of environment and forests recommended that only three blocks, Mahan, Marki Mangli II and Namchik-Namphuk be considered off limits for mining of 74 blocks in Schedule II and III of the coal ordinance. Government documents with Greenpeace show other forests in the Mahan region have also been identified as very high quality forest.

Pillai said, "Even as we celebrate this win for thousands of Indians, we are painfully aware that Mahan is just one of hundreds of coal mines planned in forested India. MoEF's current criteria for determining forests closed to mining is clearly inadequate and only serves interests of mining corporations, ignoring needs of communities and wildlife that depend on forests. The government must make public and open up for consultation the inviolate criteria, and then apply them equally across all blocks."

This comes a week after Delhi High Court ruled the government had illegally prevented Priya Pillai from travelling to the UK to brief British parliamentarians on Mahan struggle, which was initially allocated to UK-registered Essar. In June 2014, Intelligence Bureau had accused Greenpeace India of acting against national interest for, among other things, opposing mining in the Mahan. The report was then used to block access to funds from Greenpeace International, a move that was overturned by the Delhi High Court in January 2015.