The government’s latest list of commercial coal mines up for auction includes at least two coal blocks in central India with dense forest cover, critical for biodiversity and wildlife in the region, according to people familiar with the matter.
On March 29, the Centre announced the 7th round of its coal mine auction, which has 101 mines, including Tara block in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand forests and Mahan coal block in Madhya Pradesh. Tara has a forest cover of 81%, of which very dense forest (VDF) cover is about 15.96sq km (1,596 ha) of the block; Mahan has a forest cover of 97% with very dense forests covering 3.72sq km (372 ha) of the block.
