Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Friday made a four-hour visit to Chhattisgarh in an attempt to convince Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to allow coal mining in the Hasdeo Aranya region to meet his state’s electricity needs.
The Rajasthan government owns the Parsa East Kente Basan (PEKB) coal block in the pristine forest area in Chhattisgarh’s Sarguja district. In January, the Union Environment and Forest Ministry allowed the Mining and Development operator, Adani Enterprises Ltd, to mine in the second phase of this area.
Now, the state government’s nod is awaited — and Gehlot wants to speed this up.
