As part of protests, families are camping out in the forests in shifts to protect trees. After the approval was granted on April 6, women of the region also hugged the trees, in an echo of the famous Chipko movement.
After the environment ministry approved the coal mining in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo forest, more than 25 conservationists wrote to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister demanding dismissal of coal mining expansion in the ecologically sensitive region. Meanwhile, the High Court has issued a stay on land acquisition for the Parsa coal block in Hasdeo Aranya.
Despite large-scale protests over mining in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh, the Union government has accorded stage two clearance to the Parsa coal block.