By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesperson Ravi Saxena has strongly criticised the state’s BJP government, accusing it of ignoring constitutional safeguards while allowing mining giant Modani to begin tree felling in Dhirauli for its coal project.
According to Saxena, large-scale deforestation has begun without Stage-II forest clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He alleged that the project blatantly violates the Forest Rights Act (2006) and the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (1996).
The Congress leader pointed out that the coal block lies within a Fifth Schedule area, where the rights of tribal communities are constitutionally protected. He said no consent had been obtained from village assemblies, despite clear provisions in law and Supreme Court judgments requiring it.
Local residents, mostly Scheduled Tribes and including members of a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), have launched strong protests. Saxena warned that the project would lead to double displacement, as families already uprooted by earlier projects now face eviction again.
The clearance process involves nearly 3,500 acres of dense forest land. Saxena argued that the loss of mahua, tendu leaves, medicinal plants and timber would devastate tribal livelihoods, while compensatory afforestation cannot replace the ecological and cultural value of natural forests.
He further charged that the Modi government arbitrarily allocated the block in 2019 and is now pushing the project in 2025 without mandatory approvals. Congress vowed to resist what it called an “open loot of mineral resources” at every level.
