RAIPUR: August 2 is scheduled for a public hearing for Environment Clearance (EC) for mining in the Kete Extension open cast coal block in north Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand region in Ambikapur district. But there are local voices simmering with resentment as opponents appear head-to-head on the upcoming hearing process.While several tribal villagers seem to be in strong support of the upcoming public consultation, the adivasi habitats among the affected villages seek to cancel the hearing in protest, as they cited that Kete coal block mining is a new project and 99% of it remains under pristine forest cover for the region’s biodiversity.The Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) has issued a circular to organise a public consultation for the project at Parsa village in Udaipur block, some 45 km from the Ambikapur district headquarters.Parsa East-Kente Basan (PEKB), Parsa and Kete Extension coal blocks in north Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand region have been awarded to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. (RRVUNL).Those who stand in support of the public hearing submitted their memorandum to the Ambikapur collector and Regional Officer of CECB to conduct it as scheduled.“With the commencement of the Kete Extension coal block project, there will be holistic development of the region, with better scope in education, employment, and health, besides the expansion of other basic amenities for the people. We have witnessed this in the earlier project,” stated the memorandum signed by 5 village sarpanches, four up-sarpanches, and other villagers.However, those who disagree claim that the report of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) submitted with the proposal for grant of EC is three years old, doesn’t reflect the existing ground situation, and has concealed important facts. It didn’t mention the presence of elephants or the Lemru elephant reserve, which was notified in 2021, and the mining project area extends within a 10-kilometre radius of the reserve. With mining, the region will witness increased human-elephant conflict, according to the memorandum presented by sarpanches from affected villages to a regional officer of CECB.Amid the discordant opinions, Ambikapur collector Bhaskar Vilas Sandipan said, “There will be no change in the public hearing planned for August 2.” “The usual mandatory process for securing environmental clearance and public hearings organised by the government are meant for the people to frankly voice their views and concerns. I have received information that there are villagers in support and also against it. I have appealed to all to attend,” the collector told this newspaper.
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