C'garh Expanding Jumbo Reserve Will Bury 64 Coal Blocks

The Chhattisgarh government’s decision to expand the proposed Lemru Elephant Reserve eightfold will put 64 coal blocks with close to 17 billion tonne reserves out of bounds for mining, hitting fuel supply to power sector and other industries at a time when the Narendra Modi government is making efforts to reduce imports.

- Sanjay Dutta

According to a dossier prepared by the state’s chief conservator of forests, 36 blocks, or 38% of the Mand-Raigarh field, will be hit by the decision. Similarly, 18 blocks in the Hasdeo Arand field will be affected. The inclusion of additional catchment areas of Hasdeo and Mand rivers will affect another 10 blocks.

As a result, coal supplies to government power plants in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh will be disrupted and the utilities will have to look for alternative supplies for years, assuming the Centre allots other mines which will take time to develop. Vedanta group’s BALCO also may be affected since it owns the Chotia-1 coal block in the Lemru region.