Coal news and updates

Tara block withdrawn from commercial coal mining auction process

Tara coal block is in the Hasdeo Aranya forest area (Surajpur district) and has 15.96sq km of very dense forest (VDF) area in the coal mine.

RAIPUR The Union coal ministry has withdrawn the Tara coal block from the commercial mining auction process following objections by the Chhattisgarh government as it falls in an area with 81% forest cover in the state’s Hasdeo Aranya, according to a notice issued by the ministry last Friday.

“The Ministry of Coal had launched the 7th round and second attempt of the 6th round of Commercial Coal Mine Auction on March 29, 2023. Tara Coal Mine was offered under the 7th round of commercial coal mine auction. However, the competent authority has decided to withdraw the coal mine from the current auction process,” the notice stated.

Tara coal block is in the Hasdeo Aranya forest area (Surajpur district) and has 15.96sq km of very dense forest (VDF) area in the coal mine.

On June 23, the Chhattisgarh government wrote a letter to the central coal ministry to keep nine coal blocks out of 23 (in Chhattisgarh) from the auction process for commercial mining citing environmental reasons. This included the Tara coal block.

Tara was the only coal block from Chhattisgarh that received bidders, according to the list issued by coal ministry on June 28. The bidders were Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation, Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Raigarh Natural Resources Limited.

The state government had also said that the Chhattisgarh forest and climate change department cited loss to the environment as the reason for asking the central government to withdraw the nine coal blocks.

The nine coal blocks were Tara (Surajpur district), Karkoma (Korba), Koilar ( Raigarh), Tendumudi (Raigarh), Jilga Barpali (Korba), Barpali Kalmi Tikra (Korba), Batati Kolga North East (Korba), Batati Kolga East (Korba) and Fetehpur south (Raigarh).

Tara is in Hasdeo Arand forest area and the other eight coal blocks are in the catchment area of Mand river which flows in the Mand-Raigarh forest area. On 26 July 2022, the Chhattisgarh assembly passed a resolution to oppose mining in the entire Hasdeo forest area.