Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh Saturday raised major environmental alarms over a massive coal mining project cleared in the dense forests of Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district, pointedly noting that the targeted area was previously protected as a strict “no-go” zone due to its ecological fragility.
In a sharply worded statement, Ramesh criticized the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for its May 2025 decision, stating that the ministry had “predictably cleared a proposal of the Modani empire to mine coal in the very dense forests of Singrauli.”
According to Ramesh, the project spans roughly 7,000 acres of land that was explicitly flagged in 2011 as off-limits for mining because of its dense forest cover and vital elephant corridors.
”Over 6 lakh trees will be clearfelled,” Ramesh warned, highlighting the scale of the impending ecological damage.
Ramesh also detailed the complex legal battle surrounding the project, which has moved through the following stages: National Green Tribunal (NGT): Environmental activists challenged the clearance, but in April 2026, the NGT dismissed the petition on a technicality, ruling it was filed too late to be heard on its substantive merits.
The dismissal was appealed to the apex court. On May 21, 2026, the Supreme Court allowed the petitioners to withdraw their challenge so they could legally pursue other appropriate remedies.
Crucially, Ramesh emphasized that the Supreme Court’s latest move keeps the legal doors open. “This means that the issue remains open to challenge,” he said.
He expressed hope that India’s higher judiciary—referencing the Supreme Court’s recent strong intervention on the Aravalli environmental issue—will view the Singrauli situation with the sensitivity and urgency it deserves as it heads to the High Court.