India
Tara Coal Block Auction Sparks Environmental and Political Backlash in Chhattisgarh
The Union Ministry of Coal auctioned six coal blocks last month, including the Tara (revised) coal block in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Aranya region. The auction has reignited debate over mining in the ecologically sensitive area. Opposition Congress members and environmental activists have expressed concerns about the impact of mining and deforestation on the tribal population living near the proposed sites. They have called the exercise an “ecocide” and warned that mining near the Lemru Elephant Reserve could severely disrupt the elephants’ migratory corridor. The Tara coal block was excluded from auction in July 2023 after the Chhattisgarh Government raised concerns. The Ministry says the block was considered for auction again only after the State Government’s communication in December 2025 and after the block boundary was revised. The change in the party in power between the two dates has fueled a political debate in which the BJP and Congress accuse each other of hiding facts.
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the Tara coal block covers about 5,000 acres, of which more than 4,000 acres are dense forest. He added that more than a million trees would be felled for the project and that mining operations around the Lemru Elephant Reserve would severely impact the migratory paths of elephants, India’s national heritage animal, at a time when their population is already facing a crisis. Other species would also be at greater risk.
Environmental activist Alok Shukla of the Chhattisgarh Bachao Aandolan (CBA) pointed out that the issue is part of a larger forest conservation problem in Hasdeo Aranya, which lies in the catchment area of the Hasdeo river and spans 1,878 sq km in north‑central Chhattisgarh. The Hasdeo river is a tributary of the Mahanadi river, which originates in Chhattisgarh and flows through Odisha into the Bay of Bengal. The landscape contains some of the most intact and biodiversity‑rich forests of the state, an important elephant habitat and part of the Lemru Elephant Reserve. Its forests are home to elephants and more than 450 other species, including over 20 critically endangered species, and sustain Adivasi and other forest‑dependent communities whose livelihoods, culture and social life are deeply connected to the forest.
Baghel and Shukla have referred to past statements by the State government and the Legislative Assembly against mining in the Tara block and the broader issue of mining and deforestation in the Hasdeo region. Baghel claimed that the current BJP government in the state, led by Vishnu Deo Sai, had written to the Ministry of Coal regarding the auction of the Tara coal block, whereas his own Congress government had written a letter on 23 June 2023 requesting that nine coal blocks, including Tara, be excluded from the auction process. On 16 July 2023, the Congress government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that there was no need for the allocation or development of any new mines in Hasdeo Arand. The Union Ministry of Coal de‑notified 40 coal blocks, including Tara, from the auction process on 19 October 2023.
In the auction, the Tara coal block was awarded to CG Syn‑Gas and Chemicals Limited, a subsidiary of Mundra Synergy Limited, an associate company of Adani Enterprises Limited, according to Baghel’s press conference in Raipur on 15 September. He alleged that since the BJP government came to power in Chhattisgarh, water, forests and land are being handed over to the conglomerate. Baghel demanded an explanation from the BJP on why their government recommended the Tara coal block for auction.
Shukla recalled that the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on 26 July 2022 demanding that no further coal blocks be allocated or auctioned in Hasdeo Arand. He questioned the rationale behind coal mining in biodiversity‑rich areas at a time when the government has set lofty targets for increasing renewable energy.
The CBA argues that the people of Hasdeo have protected these forests for generations and are not an expendable coal reserve. They view the auction of Tara as a grave step backward for Chhattisgarh and India’s environmental governance. Their key demands include immediate cancellation of the auction and allocation of the Tara (revised) coal block and a complete halt to all further coal mining expansion in the Hasdeo‑Aranya landscape.
The Union Coal Ministry said that the December 2025 letter from the Government of Chhattisgarh to include the Tara coal block stated that “the coal block is outside the Lemru Elephant Corridor, and the coal block may be offered in the upcoming tranche of auction.” It highlighted that the coal block is expected to generate annual revenue of more than ₹1,200 crore for the state and provide employment to more than 8,000 people.
The Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC) said that before mining could commence, various stages of forest clearance would have to be completed and that environmental impacts would be assessed in accordance with prescribed norms. No tree felling or actual mining activity can take place before the requisite statutory approvals are obtained. The CMDC noted that the allocation and mining of coal blocks in the Hasdeo‑Arand region has been underway for several years. It said the Tara Coal Block was allocated to the CMDC in 2011, but its earlier allocation was cancelled along with those of other coal blocks following a Supreme Court order.
Published – 16 September 2026 01:40 pm IST