State forest minister Babanrao Pachpute is drawing flak from environmentalists again. Earlier, he was criticised for threatening non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for opposing a proposed coal mining project in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district, east Maharashtra. Now, environmental activists are seeing red after he set up a 10-member study group to look into the project.
The Adani Mining Pvt Ltd is seeking to mine coal at Lohara, near Chandrapur. Environmentalists say such a self-proclaimed study has no locus standi in law. “We are opposed to the project because it will destroy the forest as other projects have in the past,” Dr Chopne, president of Green Planet, Chandrapur.
Government resolution [(GR: (MLD/1009/CN 649/F1)] states the study group will discuss the project with officials from the Maharashtra Forest Development Corporation and the Tadoba Reserve. The group will also study the company's wildlife conservation plan and submit a revised plan with suggestions to the PCCF (Wildlife), in 12 days.
Incidentally, chief conservator of forests Shailendra Bahadur, who has been appointed the committee's coordinator, is the nodal officer for the mining project in the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife).
Forest department sources said that B Majumdar, the PCCF (Wildlife), had objected to Bahadur's appointment. Additional chief secretary, revenue and forest, JP Dange, said Bahadur is only the group's convener and will not be involved in the group's functioning.
Meanwhile, environmentalists have objected to being named to the group. “My name was listed without my consent,” said Swanand Sovani of the Nagpur-based Shrushti Paryavaran Mandal, an NGO opposed to the project.
Chopne too has objected to being included in the group. “I don't want to be part of the group as its sole objective is to help Adani Mining get an approved,” he said.
Pachpute refused to comment on the setting up of the study group but insisted there is no opposition to it from any quarter.
