the sunday guardian 20: supplement to the sunday guardian | 04.01.2015 | new delhi Picture Essay 31the sunday guardian 20: supplement to the sunday guardian | 04.01.2015 | new delhi30 Picture Essay

forest essential

Photo & Text: Chitrangada Choudhury

The Hasdeo Arand forests spanning north Chhattisgarh’s Korba and Sarguja districts comprise some of central India’s best contiguous tracts of forests, and are home to perennial water sources, rare plants as well as wildlife species, including elephants and leopards.

But this rich eco-system is also under threat because of the vast coal reserves it holds — the Hasdeo Arand Coalfield mapped by the Ministry of Coal has over a billion metric tonnes of proven coal reserves, across an area of 1878 sq km. 1502 sq km of this comprise forests.

The threat is accentuated with the government’s swift moves in past weeks to clear the decks for increased coal mining in India. After its controversial coal mining bill was not passed in Parliament by the Rajya Sabha, it re-issued an ordinance on 24 December to auction lands and forests across over 100 coal blocks, and permit commercial mining. On 29 December, it announced dilutions in the public hearing and consent provisions of the new land acquisition act for a range of projects wanting to acquire land, including power projects. News reports indicate the government is also weakening environmental protections that regulate mining in forested areas, in a bid to open up and transfer resource-rich lands to corporations.

In Hasdeo Arand, villagers, primarily adivasis from the Gond community, have been debating these moves, which will profoundly impact them. In mid-December, across 16 villages, local residents held gram sabhas (village assemblies) and passed resolutions asking the government to not auction these forests and their lands to mining corporations. They also demanded that the government implement the PESA and Forest Rights Acts — two legislations, which recognise the rights of local adivasi and forest-dwelling communities, and involve them in decision making around natural resources.

Chitrangada Choudhury is a multimedia journalist and researcher, and a Fellow with The Open Society Institute.

Mahaa singh brings a sack of mahua to sell at the weekly village haat. Forest produce is a source of year-round food and income for local residents.

a 2010 evaluation by the uPa government categorised much of the hasdeo forests as a “no-go” zone, beyond the bounds of mining — an assessment that has since been set aside. a proposed elephant reserve in the region wasn’t notified, following lobbying by industry bodies, who pointed to hasdeo’s rich mining prospects.

since 2011, adani Mining Pvt Ltd has been operating the largest coal mine in the hasdeo region — the Parsa east Kete Basan block, for which forests and farmlands belonging to villagers were stripped bare. 30 coal mines are proposed in this region so far.

the hasdeo arand Bachao sangharsh samiti is a village-level movement, which meets every month to discuss protection strategies. here, vil-lagers discuss the recently issued coal block ordinance and its adverse impact on the forests and their lives.

the rice harvest comes home. the forests are interspersed with paddy fields — the primary harvest and food security source for locals.

the forests have over 10 different species of grasses, which are used by locals to make a range of products including rope, mats and brooms.

salhi villager ramlal singh plays his gond community’s traditional drum — an instrument he fashioned out of goat skin and bijaa and khamhaar wood from the forests.

Most families own livestock as a source of fuel, food and income, and depend on the forests and village land for grazing commons.

Janaiv Majhwar with amjem oil seeds, another important forest produce for the gonds.