Rs 11 lakh crore coal reserves handed over to Adani for a paltry Rs 204 crore in ‘institutional fraud’
NEW DELHI — The Congress has accused the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of large-scale violations of environmental, wildlife and tribal laws in awarding coal mines in Singrauli district of the state to the Adani Group. The party demanded an immediate investigation and cancellation of the allotted mines.
Addressing a press briefing at the Congress office here on Monday, AICC’s MP Incharge Harish Chaudhary, MP Congress President Jitu Patwari, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar and CWC member Kamleshwar Patel said a fact-finding committee constituted by the All India Congress Committee had found “grave irregularities” on the ground.
Senior Congress leaders Meenakshi Natarajan, Dr Vikrant Bhuria, Mohan Markam, Bala Bachchan, Hina Kaware, Omkar Markam and Rannvijay Singh Lochav were also present at the press briefing.
The Cong leaders alleged that over 2,600 hectares of land, including around 1,400 hectares of forest land, had been allotted for the coal block, with large-scale tree felling carried out without a proper consent of Gram Sabhas and in violation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, Fifth Schedule provisions and the Forest Rights Act.
They said local residents and even elected representatives were initially denied access to the area, with heavy police deployment restricting movement.
The leaders further alleged irregularities in surveys and compensation, stating that only 554 hectares of the total land was properly surveyed and that landowners did not receive compensation.
Umang Singhar claimed that after mining activities in Hasdeo, Chhattisgarh, the Adani Group was allotted the Suliari underground mine and Dhirauli open-cast mine in Singrauli.
He said about 2,672 hectares of forest land was handed over for these projects, involving the felling of nearly 6,00,000 trees.
According to him, coal reserves worth over Rs 11 lakh crore were given to Adani for just Rs 204 crore, which he described as an “institutional fraud”.
Singhar said the 2013 Land Acquisition Act was bypassed using the Coal Bearing Areas Act, PESA provisions were ignored, and gram panchayat consent was not obtained.
He also claimed that although the Centre had described the area as falling under the Fifth Schedule, the state government violated it to facilitate land transfer, and while it was told by the government in the Lok Sabha that the area falls under the Fifth Schedule, the state minister told the assembly that it does not.
Singhar said that when the mine was to be allotted to Adani, the area was removed from the Fifth Schedule. Accusing the government of changing rules to favour Adani, he asked whether this was not a well-planned conspiracy. He added that no meeting of the Tribal Advisory Committee was convened.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari said Madhya Pradesh has the country’s largest tribal population and forest cover, yet tribal land was being handed over to “mineral mafias”. He claimed that around 1.46 lakh hectares of land had been given away, and more than 5,000 mines were allotted by the BJP government. He also alleged restrictions on access to mining areas and the suppression of local voices through heavy police deployment.
Harish Chaudhary said the government’s actions contradicted its public commitments on environmental protection alleging that while slogans were promoted, forests and tribal livelihoods were being destroyed.
