Hundreds of tribes from different parts of India will come to Delhi on 23rd March for the Adivasi Adhikar Sabha organized by activists to raise the question, “Why is the concern for Jal, Jungle, and Zameen not a part of the electoral debate?”
As rapacious mining projects continue to take place, harming the environment and displacing many indigenous people, the government keeps giving the green light for corporate loot. The same is the struggle of the tribes of Hasdeo for more than a decade.
The Hasdeo forest is called the “lung of the state” by local communities. Located in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, the Hasdeo Forest shows how nature and indigenous communities rely on each other.
Spread across lush green landscapes and rivers, this ancient forest has been home to several tribal groups for centuries, wild animals, plants, as well as coal deposits. The forest is estimated to hold approximately 5 billion tonnes of coal. The central government has partitioned the area into 23 “coal blocks,” with approval granted for mining in six of them.
In 2009, the central government declared Hasdeo Aranya as a “no-go” area for mining, citing its abundant biodiversity. In 2011, the then Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, revoked this status and provided stage-I forest clearance for the Tara, Parsa East, and Kanta Basan (PEKB) coal blocks located in the region.
By 2013, The Adani Group had secured contracts for mining operations in four of these six blocks.
CONTINUED EXPLOITATION
The PEKB (Parsa East Kente Basan) biodiversity-rich coal block is owned by Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited and run by Adani Enterprises, which is the official Mine Developer and Operator in this venture.
In 2012, during the BJP’s governance in Chhattisgarh, coal blocks were approved, leading to immediate forest clearance for mining. However, protests by the Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, predominantly comprising tribals, limited the felling after 1.5 lakh trees were cut. Despite remaining silent on the protests while in power, the BJP supported similar protests against tree-felling for PEKB Phase 2 while it was in opposition.
Mining resumed after Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot urged his Chhattisgarh counterpart in March 2022, citing the necessity of coal for Rajasthan’s power plants; both states were being governed by the Congress then. Alok Shukla, convenor of the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, told The Wire that the second phase of mining for PEKB affects the Ghatbara village, which will be entirely displaced. He further added that the mining will affect three villages, which have been agitating against mining for five years.
Following the recent elections where the BJP replaced the Congress in both states, tree-felling started again in December 2023. Critics said that the appointment of a tribal Chief Minister by the BJP is a political move and has contributed no good to the tribal population of Chhattisgarh. Moreover, activists fighting for Adivasi rights in the state believed that there is no point in having a tribal chief minister if he continues to overlook the community’s priorities to facilitate corporate interests in Chhattisgarh.
Local people of Hasdeo said in various media interviews that both the government failed to solve our problem, they are only supporting big companies to loot us. First, the BJP came and exploited us for so many years. Then Congress failed us too, and when the BJP was re-elected, the trees started falling again.
THE RECENT TRIGGER
On different news channels, the chants of “Modi Sarkar Hosh Me Aao” echoed as the cutting of trees started again for the mining project on December 22. People were agitated, saying that even after having a tribal chief minister, their demands are not getting fulfilled, and the chief minister is merely wearing a mask; only what corporations decide will happen. The locals also alleged that the mining is allowed without the consent of the Gram Sabha of the region. Activists also raised concerns about the Elephant-animal conflict as the Lemru Elephant Corridor falls under the area to be mined.
In Delhi, the protest was organized on 10th January at Delhi University against mining in Hasdeo and various other anti-tribal policies of the government, which resulted in displacing Adivasi peasants, environmental issues, and the exploitation of resources in many tribal areas. An activist protesting raised his astonishment as to how forests in Hasdeo, which were once declared a “No-Go” zone for human activities, are now being cut down for the interests of Adani’s mining project.
On February 7, the debate erupted in the Chhattisgarh assembly as Congress legislators protested against the cutting of 15,000 trees on December 21, 2023, in the Hasdeo-Arand forests for a coal mining project. During the debate, 30 Congress legislators were suspended by the speaker; the suspension was later revoked.
However, the Chief Minister diverted the blame to Congress during the press conference. Amid the tussle of political parties, the cry of the tribal remains less important and neglected.
GOVERNMENT AND ADANI: A QUESTIONABLE RELATION
As Gautam Adani continues to expand his mining business, his influence at the top levels of the Indian government has come under scrutiny. Activists, researchers, and politicians have raised concerns about how Adani wins its mining contracts and how the company, working with the government, acquires mining land from indigenous communities despite their resistance. There are also questions about alleged preferential treatment by the government in giving contracts to Adani, though the company has consistently denied any such claims. Adani remains controversial not only in India but also overseas.
US Prosecutors Widened their Probe
The Economic Times has reported very recently that US prosecutors have widened their probe of the Adani Group to focus on whether the company is engaged in bribery. Investigators are finding out if the Adani Group was involved in paying officials in India for favorable treatment on energy projects.
The giants of India’s mining and steel conglomerates- Vedanta Limited, Rungta Sons Private Limited, Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL), Essel Mining and Industries Limited (EMIL), and Dempo—put together bought Rs 825 crore worth of electoral bonds, according to data made public by the Election Commission of India. Though it is not declared which company donated to which party, it is very much clear that the mining companies share a close link with the political parties.
With the rising voices of tribal groups and the ignorance of the government towards this is overtly evident, the other vague promises by the government are highlighted, asserted activists and commentators.
Many raised questions on how the government is hiding the tribal cause, the media is not showing enough about what’s happening here, and civilians are getting killed in fake encounters but CAA is implemented across the country to increase the vote bank just before the Lok Sabha election.
