The ongoing auction of 41 coal mines across the country would open up pristine and contiguous forests for mining in parts of central India, government documents show, even as the Union environment ministry has said decisions regarding auctioning were being taken on a case-by-case basis.
The government was until 2015 considering declaring dense forests with hydrological value, and those near or overlapping streams and rivers as inviolate and hence no mining zones.
Jairam Ramesh, the then Union environment minister, proposed go and no-go area classification for coal mining in 2009-10, and nine major coal blocks were studied for their biodiversity and forest cover.
