Union coal minister Pralhad Joshi has said that the Centre cannot accept the Chhattisgarh government’s proposal to cancel the mines allotted to Rajasthan as the allotment came through a process.
The Chhattisgarh government in July passed a resolution in the state assembly urging the Centre to cancel all coal blocks in Hasdeo Arand forest area amid protests against mining. The Centre has allotted Rajasthan three coal blocks – Parsa East-Kanta Basan-II (PEKB), Parsa and Kente Extension.
“The Chhattisgarh government has sent a resolution to cancel the allotted mines. But we had allotted the mines to Rajasthan through a process, and cannot cancel it,” Joshi said.
The minister was speaking on the sidelines of an MoU signing between the Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RUVNL) and Coal India Limited in Jaipur on Thursday, where Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlor was also present.
There are five coal blocks in Hasdeo Arand area which include Parsa, Parsa East Kete Basan (PEKB), PEKB Extension, Gidhmuri Paturia, Madanpur South and Chotia. Mining in the first phase of PEKB coal block has been completed this month and coal is no longer supplied to Rajasthan from here. Tribals and activists have been protesting against the mining activities in Hasdeo Arand forest area for over a decade.
“I do not want to politicise the issue. I have requested the CM (Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel), since it is an ongoing mining activity and phase-I clearance was issued. Gehlot has also done, even I have. I will urge them again,” the Union minister added.
The Hasdeo Arand coalfield, spread over 1,878 square kilometre in Korba, Surguja and Surajpur districts in the northern part of the state, comprises 23 coal blocks. In 2009, the Union environment ministry categorised the region as a “no-go” zone for mining but later changed its tune as the policy was not “finalised”.
Sudiep Shrivastava, a lawyer who filed a writ against the mining in Hasdeo, said, “The Centre’s decision to reject the state’s proposal of cancellation of Hasdeo coal blocks is directly in the teeth of federal scheme of the Constitution of India. It is regrettable that unanimous resolution passed by the state assembly of Chhattisgarh is not being respected.”
Meanwhile, Rajasthan’s energy minister, Bhanwar Singh Bhati said the issue is being taken up by the ministry. “We will also request the Chhattisgarh government,” he said.
A senior official of the energy department said the number of rakes received by the Rajasthan Vidhyut Utpadan Nigam from Chhattisgarh has been down by 9 rakes per day. This shortfall is about 40% of the total coal received for power generation.
He said in lieu of the supply interrupted coal from Chhattisgarh, 50% quantity of coal of interrupted supply has been allocated by the Centre under ‘Bridge Linkage’ arrangement but this coal has to be lifted from ‘Mahanadi Cold Field Limited’ in Odisha.
Earlier, facing coal shortage, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot visited Raipur in March, this year, to meet his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Bhaghel to discuss the long pending permits required to carry out mining.
The state received environment clearance for the mines in December 2021 but despite that the required clearances were not issued by the Chhattisgarh government because of the protest. The issue thereafter was discussed with the Congress leadership and intervention of party chief Sonia Gandhi was sought. The issue was also taken up with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in February.
Deputy leader of Opposition in Rajasthan, Rajendra Rathore, said despite having Congress-ruled governments in both the states, Gehlot is unable to take coal from the mine allotted, and now the Chhattisgarh government sending a proposal of cancellation to the Centre shows the inaction and gross failure of the state government.
He said despite acute shortage of coal, in July 2022, the state cabinet has approved setting up of supercritical and ultra-supercritical thermal power projects of 2120 MW capacity at Chhabra and Kalisindh plants at a cost of about ₹15,600 crore. “The question is that when chief minister Gehlot is not able to find a solution to the coal crisis in Rajasthan and is unable to get approval for coal mining from Parsa mine with the Chhattisgarh government, then thousands of crores of rupees of the public’s hard-earned money will be spent. What will be achieved by setting up new thermal power plants at cost? “
