A SanvaadGarh Investigation
For years, Hasdeo Arand stood at the centre of one of India’s biggest environmental battles.
Thousands of Adivasi residents protested. Environmentalists warned of irreversible ecological damage. Politicians made competing promises. The issue dominated national headlines.
Today, the cameras are gone.
But Hasdeo has not stopped changing.
While public attention shifted elsewhere, decisions affecting one of Central India’s largest contiguous forests have continued to move through official channels. The proposed Kente Extension coal block alone involves the diversion of around 1,742 hectares of forest, with mining planned for a coal block allotted to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL), where Adani Enterprises serves as the mine developer and operator.
The debate today is no longer just about one coal block.
It is about the future of an entire landscape.
A Forest That Powers More Than Electricity
Spread across northern Chhattisgarh, Hasdeo Arand is more than a coal reserve.
It is home to dense sal forests, elephant corridors, rivers, and thousands of Adivasi families whose livelihoods depend on forests for food, water and income.
For decades, the region has represented a difficult question for policymakers:
Can India expand coal production without permanently altering one of its most ecologically significant forests?
The Next Phase
Coal mining in Hasdeo is not new.
The Parsa East and Kente Basan (PEKB) mine has been operational for years.
What has brought the region back into focus is the proposed expansion into adjoining coal blocks, particularly Kente Extension, which has moved through key stages of the forest clearance process. Environmental groups and local organisations have opposed the proposal, while the government and project proponents have argued that additional coal production is important for meeting energy demand.
The disagreement extends beyond mining itself.
It centres on forests, wildlife, community consent and long-term development.
Development or a Familiar Cycle?
Supporters argue that mining generates electricity, employment and economic growth.
Critics ask a different question.
If decades of mining have already transformed large parts of Chhattisgarh, why do many nearby communities still struggle with basic healthcare, employment, drinking water and rehabilitation?
For many residents, the concern is not only whether another mine should open.
It is whether the promises made after previous mining projects were fully delivered.
The Elephant in the Forest
Hasdeo is recognised as an important elephant habitat and movement corridor.
Earlier biodiversity assessments by government-linked research institutions highlighted the ecological importance of the landscape and recommended caution regarding additional mining activity beyond existing operations. Those findings continue to feature prominently in the public debate over future expansion.
The question remains:
Can industrial expansion and wildlife conservation coexist in one of Central India’s most sensitive forest regions?
A Story Bigger Than One Company
Public discussion around Hasdeo often focuses on one corporate name.
But the issue extends beyond any single company.
It is about how India balances three competing priorities:
- Energy security
- Environmental conservation
- Rights of forest-dependent communities
The decisions taken in Hasdeo will shape more than one mining project.
They may become a blueprint for how future critical mineral and coal projects are pursued across India.
The Question That Still Awaits an Answer
India needs electricity.
India also needs forests.
The challenge has never been choosing one over the other.
The challenge is ensuring that development is transparent, legally compliant, environmentally responsible and fair to the people who have lived in these forests for generations.
As the national conversation moves on, Hasdeo remains.
Still standing.
Still contested.
Still asking a question that India has yet to answer:
How much forest is a nation willing to lose in the name of development?
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