New Delhi – A fresh political and environmental controversy has erupted in Madhya Pradesh as the Congress party sharply accused the Adani Group of “procedural short-circuiting” and carrying out “large-scale tree felling” in the Dhirauli region for a new coal mining project. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh labeled the reported deforestation as a grave “environmental tragedy” and a “social and economic disaster” for the local Adivasi communities.
Reports have emerged that tree-felling activity has commenced under heavy police protection, while local communities, including members of a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), continue to protest the project. The villagers’ livelihoods are intrinsically tied to the forest produce like mahua and tendu, which are now being threatened.
Government and Company Maintain Compliance
Despite the serious allegations, the Madhya Pradesh government has consistently rejected the accusations as “baseless,” asserting that the project has complied with all required legal procedures. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has also backed the state administration, confirming that both Stage-I and Stage-II (final) approvals for the forest clearance have been duly issued.
The Adani Group, through its subsidiary Adani Power, which received the Coal Ministry’s approval to commence operations in September 2025, has maintained a commitment to responsible mining practices. The Dhirauli coal mine, which holds gross geological reserves of 620 million metric tonnes (MMT), is set to supply the nearby Mahan Power plant and support the company’s power generation requirements.
Allegations of Tribal Rights Violations
The core of the controversy centers on whether the required legal clearances concerning tribal rights were properly obtained:
- Fifth Schedule and PESA: Congress leaders and activists allege that the project falls within an area protected under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which requires special provisions for tribal governance. They claim that necessary consultations with the Gram Sabhas (village councils), mandated under the Panchayats (Extension To the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996, were bypassed or improperly conducted.
- Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006: Critics argue that the project is in blatant violation of the FRA, 2006, which gives Gram Sabhas the authority to decide on the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes.
While the Madhya Pradesh government has refuted claims that the land falls under the PESA or Fifth Schedule area, a 2023 reply in the Lok Sabha by the Union Ministry of Coal itself indicated that the Dhirauli project area is located in a protected Fifth Schedule region, adding complexity and contradiction to the legal compliance claims.
With the forest felling reportedly underway and local Adivasi communities facing displacement and loss of their traditional livelihoods, the tension over the Dhirauli coal mine project is expected to escalate further.