Tara coal block cleared after elephant corridor boundaries redrawn

The Coal Ministry has given the green light for the Tara coal block allocation following a boundary revision that places the mining area outside the protected elephant corridor, according to official statements. The ministry contended that the adjusted demarcation of the Lemru Elephant Corridor removes any overlap with the proposed coal mining zone.

The Tara block is located in Chhattisgarh's mineral-rich Hasdeo-Arand area, a region that has been at the centre of environmental and wildlife conservation debates. Elephant corridors are designated passages that allow pachyderms to move between habitat areas and are considered critical for population sustainability across the state and neighbouring regions.

Chhattisgarh's BJP has seized on the ministry's decision to question the previous Congress administration's approach to mining approvals in the Hasdeo-Arand belt. The party has suggested that prior decisions under Congress rule failed to adequately balance development with conservation imperatives, though specifics of those allegations were not immediately detailed.

The allocation marks a significant clearance for coal extraction in an area where mining projects have historically faced environmental scrutiny and pushback from wildlife advocates concerned about habitat fragmentation and elephant movement patterns.