The government admitted in the Lok Sabha that it could have allowed excessive diversion of forests for mining activities. But it gave an assurance that it will strictly adhere to ‘go and no-go areas’ and not permit exploitation of dense woods. Maneka Gandhi of the BJP had alleged during Question Hour that the government had cut down one lakh hectare of forests for mining and 30,000 hectare of this was during the tenure of environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh. … Read More
Coal Mining Destroying Critical Tiger Habitat Around Tadoba Tiger Reserve
New Delhi, 22 November, 2011: Coal mining poses a serious threat to tigers in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur region, near the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and must be reined in. This is the verdict of a Fact Finding Mission to the area organized by Greenpeace India, consisting of wildlife experts Praveen Bhargav and Biswajit Mohanty and environmental lawyer Rahul Choudhary.
The team released its findings and recommendations in a report titled “Undermining Tadoba’s Tigers” at a press conference in New Delhi. … Read More
Rampant Mining Poses Threat To Tadoba Says Expert Wildlife Panel
Rampant coal mining in Chandrapur and its surrounding areas in Maharashtra pose a grave threat to tigers. A fact-finding team, comprising of Praveen Bhargav, Biswajit Mohanty and environment lawyer Rahul Choudhary, released its findings and recommendations in a report titled, “Undermining Tadoba’s tigers” said that no new mines should be given forest clearance in the region and further expansion of mines in operation should be stopped. The team has visited the area in September of this year, interacted with villagers, … Read More
Three Coal Blocks Opened in Chhattisgarh Against Recommendation of Forest Advisory Committee
The Union Environment Minister has eased his stand against the ‘go no-go’ policy where three coal blocks were cleared in the dense Hasdeo-Arand forests in Chhattisgarh. The clearance comes against the recommendations of the forest advisory committee (FAC). The minister has given six reasons for his decision. He has said that the projects are on the fringe of thick forest blocks and that the project had been curtailed from original versions. The proponents were also said to have accommodated the … Read More
Immense Environmental Toll of Coal Mining in India
Coal mining threatens many of India’s sensitive wildlife habitats as the coal ministry is pressing the Ministry of Environment and Forests for access to even more forested areas. In 2009, the ministry had categorized 203 coal blocks as no-go areas. However, early this year it agreed to relax the no-go constraint on 53-percent of these areas, apparently under pressure from the coal ministry. Under a later meeting in April, this rose to 71-percent of the reserved areas and apparently, under … Read More
CI is a non-profit, non-commercial portal that aims to facilitate wildlife and nature conservation by providing reliable information and the tools needed to campaign effectively.
