In a major set back to the Adani Power Group and Maharashtra Coal Company, the highlevel appraisal
of environment and forest has rejected their coal mining proposal in Lohara and
Lohara east blocks respectively, near the Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district.
The committee, in its meeting held on November 24, withdrew the Terms of Reference (TOR) granted to both the companies effectively ending their quest for environmental clearance for the project. Without that the mining projects cannot commence. The TORs were granted to the company last year. The Adani mining project is proposed at a distance of 12 km from boundary of Tadoba tiger reserve while Maharashtra Coal Company project is at 10 km. Both are within the proposed buffer zone of the reserve.
Ever since the controversial proposal was submitted to the centre, green activists led by Bandu Dhotre had launched an agitation, as a result, union minister for environment Jairam Ramesh had to step in and assure the local residents that no permission will be granted to the projects unless his ministry studies the proposal thoroughly. In fact, even the state forest department too had submitted a comprehensive report stating that if permission was granted then it will have an adverse impact on the forest as well as wild life.
Civil aviation minister Praful Patel had taken a lead in setting up the power project in Gondia, his home town. Then Patel had taken the view that while protection of environment is important, at the same time, industrial development too was equally important. "`We are facing acute shortage of power, under such circumstances, we need more power projects in the state,’’ Patel had said.