At the heart of the conflict over mining in Hasdeo Arand forests is whether Gram Sabha consent was obtained before final nod was granted to the Parsa coal mine
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.
The Hasdeo forest covering Chhattisgarh’s Korba, Sarguja and Surajpur districts, is a noted migratory corridor and has a significant presence of elephants