600,000 Trees aur ek Tribal Homeland: Kaise Bureaucracy ne Adani ki Singrauli Coal Mine ko Clear kiya

Technicality ki wajah se qurbaan kiya gaya ek Forest

Ek behad disappointing turn of events mein, India ke highest court ne desh ke sabse ecologically sensitive zones mein se ek se apna muh mod liya hai, aur state bureaucracy ki vedi par ek prachin (ancient) forest ko sacrifice kar diya hai. On 21 May 2026, ek Supreme Court bench jismein Justices P. S. Narasimha aur Alok Aradhe shamil the, ne Madhya Pradesh ke Singrauli district mein ek massive coal block project ko di gayi environmental aur forest clearances mein interfere karne se mana kar diya. Yeh project Adani Group ki subsidiary, Mahan Energen Limited ke malkana haq mein hai, aur isse iski associate company, Stratatech Mineral Resources Private Limited ke under operate kiya ja raha hai.

Apex court ka interfere karne se mana karna is case ke environmental ya human merits par koi verdict nahi tha. Iske bajaye, yeh decision poori tarah se ek bureaucratic deadline par based tha. Court ne National Green Tribunal ke April 2026 ke ek order ko barkarar rakha, jisne environmental activist Ajay Dubey dwara file ki gayi ek petition ko kharij kar diya tha. Tribunal ne is case ko isliye kharij kar diya kyunki yeh May 2025 mein approvals issue hone ke 259 days baad file kiya gaya tha, jo National Green Tribunal Act ke under prescribed strict 90-day ki limitation period se kahin zyada tha. Jabki Dubey ke counsel ne Supreme Court se environment ko protect karne ke liye Constitution ke Article 142 ke under apni extraordinary powers ka istemal karne ki guzaarish ki, bench ne mana kar diya aur unhein bataya ki woh iske bajaye dusre legal avenues choose kar sakte hain.

Is dismissal ne local communities aur environmentalists ke beech bhari aakrosh (deep outrage) paida kar diya hai. Activist Ajay Dubey ne online apna dukh jahir karte hue, hamare planet ki life ke upar bureaucratic deadlines ko priority dene ki beparwahi (absurdity) ko point out kiya: "Toh ab, sirf ek technical time limit rule ki wajah se 6 se 7 lakh trees kaat diye jayenge?"

'Development' ki Devastating Ecocidal Cost

Dhirauli coal project Rs 2,800 crore, ya lagbhag 340 million US dollars ka ek venture hai jo Singrauli coalfield ke andar located hai. Yeh mine har saal 6.5 million tonnes coal produce karne ke liye design ki gayi hai, jismein 5 million tonnes open-cast mining aur 1.5 million tonnes underground mining ka use kiya jayega. Commercial mines ke ult, yeh ek captive project hai, jiska matlab hai ki nikala gaya saara coal directly Adani Power ke captive generation units ko feed karne ke liye bhej diya jayega, jo company ko open market ki supply disruptions aur price volatility se bachayega.

Is corporate fuel supply ko chalane ke liye, India ki Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change dwara di gayi final Stage-II approval ne 1,397.54 hectares ke dense, ancient tropical dry deciduous forest ke diversion ko clear kar diya hai. Is land-use change se lagbhag 600,000 purane trees kaat diye jayenge, jinmein Sal aur teak jaisi keemati species shamil hain, jo paanch sadiyon se zyada samay se khade hain aur is local ecosystem ko sustain kar rahe hain.

Is clearing ka ecological fallout behad chonkayane wala (staggering) hai. Project ke liye clear ki gayi forest land directly ek vital migratory elephant corridor ke overlap karti hai, jo elephant herds ko Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, aur Jharkhand ke beech move karne aur milne-julne ki anumati deta hai. Iske alawa, yeh coal block Sanjay Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary aur Tiger Reserve se thoda hi 10 kilometers se zyada duri par hai, jo endangered leopards, bears, hyenas, aur wolves ka ek crucial sanctuary hai. In dense forests ko khatam karne se wildlife paths ke tootne, animal populations ke fragment hone aur massive human-elephant conflicts trigger hone ka risk paida ho jayega.

Forest Communities ke liye ek Human Disaster

Forest ke kinare rehne wale indigenous tribal families ke liye, jinmein Gonds, Khairwars, Agarias aur khaskar Baiga community shamil hain, yeh forest sirf trees nahi hain; yeh unka ghar hai, unka kitchen hai, aur unka mandir hai. Jungle unhe mahatvapurna non-timber resources provide karta hai, jaise food aur fermentation ke liye Mahua ke phool, aur traditional beedi cigarettes wrap karne ke liye use hone wale Tendu patte, jinhe yeh communities apna ghar chalane ki essential income generate karne ke liye harvest karti hain.

Baigas ko India ke baki hisson mein Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group ke roop mein recognize kiya jata hai, lekin Madhya Pradesh government ne Singrauli mein unhe yeh protective designation dene se lagatar mana kiya hai, jisse woh behad exposed rah gaye hain. Jabki forest department dawab karta hai ki Forest Rights Act ke under sirf 49 families ke paas hi recognized legal rights hain, ground reality par unki dependency kahin zyada badi hai, kyunki saikdon families apni rozmarra ki survival ke liye is land par rely karti hain.

"Hamare bacche school nahi jate... Hum in forests ke bahar employment nahi dhundhte. Yeh forests hamari sabhi zarooraton ko poora karte hain. Pidhiyon se, hum in forests mein reh rahe hain, aur small-scale farming kar rahe hain. Hum directly un streams se pani peete hain jo forest se behti hain. In forests ke trees aur wildlife ke sath hamara rishta behad fundamental hai."— Adani Watch

Local leaders ne warn kiya hai ki forest ko cordon off karne aur mining infrastructure banane se purane raste (historical footpaths) block ho jayenge aur tribal households surrounding towns se poori tarah cut off ho jayenge. Iske alawa, yeh clearing forest ke delicate water network ke liye ek bada khatra hai. Behad saaf streams, jaise Hardul stream, directly is lease area ke becho-beech se behti hain. Tribal families peene, household ki zarooraton aur apne livestock ke liye in saaf water bodies par depend karti hain, aur unhe darr hai ki mine ki khudai se yeh vital water sources block ya contaminate ho jayenge.

The Blackout Zone: Police Protection aur Fabricated Consent

Jab state ne mid-November 2025 mein pedon ki katai (tree felling) shuru karne ka faisla kiya, toh unhone public consensus ka sahara nahi liya. Iske bajaye, local administration ne forest ki taraf jaane wale paanch road points par complete blockade lagane ke liye lagbhag 1,500 heavily armed police officers ko deploy kar diya. Section 144 ke under prohibitory orders declare kiye gye, public assemblies ko ban kiya gaya, aur independent journalists aur outsiders ko is zone mein enter karne se sakhti se bar kiya gaya, taaki forest clearance ki reality document na ki ja sake.

"Sabhi official routes block hone ke baad, reporters ne jungle ka rasta liya. 60 km road se chalne aur rough terrain par ek lambi paidal yatra ke baad, woh der raat Basi Berdah village pahunche... Subah 3 baje, team felling area ki taraf badhi. 5 km trekking karne ke baad, woh us site par pahunche jahan hazaron bade trees kate hue pade the."— Bhaskar English

Jin tribals ne apni lands ke liye aawaz uthane ki koshish ki, unhe brutal corporate-state defense tactics ka samna karna pada. Court aur local police ne "disturbance of peace" ke liye 18 villagers ke khilaf multiple criminal complaints file ki, aur unhe Rs 25,000 ke bonds sign karne par majboor kiya. Land activist Akhilesh Shah, jo is protest mein ek prominent aawaz rahe hain, par teen alag-alag FIRs thonp di gayin, unhe teen din tak jail mein rakha gaya, aur unhe force karne ke liye police dwara physically assault kiya gaya. Ek aur villager, Roopnarayan Singh ne bataya kaise district administration aur local political elements ne fabricated criminal charges ki dhamki dekar villagers ko Collector's office ke andar zabardasti consent documents sign karne ke liye majboor (coerce) kiya.

"Yeh mera beta Vikram hai. Yeh do saal ka hai. Jab yeh char mahine ka tha tab se hum apne village aur forest ko bachane ke liye lad rahe hain. Main apne bacche ke liye aur aane wali generations ke liye lad raha hoon. Is forest ne hum tribals ko bahut kuch diya hai. Government gunpoint par forest katwa rahi hai."— Bhaskar English

Political Resistance aur State Evasion

State ki heavy-handed tactics ne un opposition political figures ko bhi target kiya jinhone villagers ke sath solidarity dikhane ki koshish ki. Congress leaders jaise Kamleshwar Patel aur Vikrant Bhuria ko dozens of party workers ke sath Section 151 ke under arrest ya detain kiya gaya. 10 December 2025 ko, State Congress President Jitu Patwari aur ek fact-finding team ne Dhirauli village ke paas do-ghante ka road blockade kiya jab unhe police ne rok diya tha, aur unhein aakhirkar strict police escort ke under hi clearing ko inspect karne ki permission mili.

Political tension Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly mein boiling point par pahunch gayi. 5 December 2025 ko, winter session ke aakhiri din, opposition Congress ke Assembly members ne walkout kiya. Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar aur MLA Jaivardhan Singh ne BJP state government par tribal rights se zyada corporate interests ko priority dene, aur Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) ke under area ke protective status par house ko mislead karne ka aarop lagaya, jo land acquisition se pehle village council consultations ko mandatory banata hai. Iske jawab mein, State Minister for Forests Dilip Ahirwar ne insist kiya ki yeh cutting bilkul legal hai aur claim kiya ki Agar-Malwa, Sagar, Raisen, aur Shivpuri jaise door-daraz ke districts mein equivalent land par compensatory tree planting ki jayegi.

Lekin yeh state defense India ki compensatory afforestation policy ke bade flaws ko expose karta hai. Ek contiguous, rich 500-year-old ecosystem ko kaatne ke badle mein, corporate operator ko saikdon kilometers door ke districts mein monoculture plantations ko fund karne ki permission di jati hai. Yeh door ki monoculture plots Singrauli mein gawaye ja rahe forest ki complex biodiversity, species variety ya local hydrological value ko kabhi replace nahi kar sakti hain. Iske alawa, federal environment ministry ke records dikhate hain ki replanting ke liye select kiye gaye kuch patches earthen dams par situated hain jo deep root systems ke liye suitable nahi hain, ya directly established tiger corridors ke sath conflict mein hain.

Ladai abhi khatam nahi hui hai

Dhirauli jaise projects ka approval India ki development story ke ek painful double standard ko expose karta hai. Jahan ek taraf India global platforms par 2070 tak net-zero status achieve karne aur clean energy ki taraf transition ke ambitious commitments karta hai, wahin iski domestic policy lagatar aise regional "sacrifice zones" bana rahi hai, jo private power companies ki zarooraton ko poora karne ke liye precious native forests ko barbad kar rahe hain.

May 2026 ke Supreme Court decision ke baad, bureaucratic limitations ke chalte forest clearances ko invalidate karne ka primary legal path block ho gaya hai. Halanki, jaise ki senior Congress leader aur former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh ne note kiya, Supreme Court dwara petitioners ko apni plea withdraw karne aur dusre legal remedies ko pursue karne ki permission dene ka matlab hai ki key environmental sawal abhi bhi open hain. Yeh legal fight high courts mein chal sakti hai—aur chalni hi chahiye. Hamein Basi Berdah jaise communities ke sath khade rehna hoga, jinka administrative tyranny aur corporate greed ke khilaf brave resistance humein batata hai ki jab corporate interests ke liye planet ke survival se samjhauta kiya jaye, toh chup rehna humein bhi iska hissa bana deta hai.