Not for the first time, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has asked the Coal Ministry to not auction the Mahan coal block in Singrauli as it is located in an inviolate forest area.
According to an office memorandum obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Greenpeace, the Ministry on December 22, 2014 said “though stage 2 forest clearance to the Mahan coal block has already been accorded, the mining in the block has not been started. The said block may therefore not be auctioned as the block is located in inviolate forest area.”
Greenpeace said, “This is wonderful news for the people of Mahan who have been fighting to save the forests.”
