In the heart of West Bengal industrial belt where smokestacks rise above the haze and gravel-laden trucks rumble through dusty roads a small patch of forest is waging a quiet war for survival. The forest lands of Kamalpur, Hetedoba, Bansgora, and Parulia mouzas in Paschim Bardhaman district, spread across nearly 548 hectares, are being stripped bare by rampant illegal gravel mining. Once classified as unclassed forest, over half of this area now lies ravaged and cratered.
Yet, amid the destruction, a story of resilience is unfolding.
On October 14, 2025, the West Bengal Forest Department offered a lifeline to this embattled ecosystem, declaring 166.6 hectares in Hetedoba Mouza under the Ukhra Forest Range as Protected Forest (Order No. I/699372/2025). The decision cited the presence of endangered wildlife, including the Indian Grey Wolf, Golden Jackal, and Bengal Fox all Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The move followed decades of unregulated mining that left the land scarred and streams clogged with sediment. Forest officials estimate that nearly 50 per cent of the 548.21 hectares across the four mouzas have been affected. But this new protection has rekindled hope for restoration and for the wildlife that once thrived here.
Why restoration matters
Paschim Bardhaman stands as one of eastern India’s most industrialised regions, home to the Durgapur Steel Plant, thermal power stations, and sprawling coal mines. Durgapur now ranks among the country’s top 40 most polluted cities, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
In such an industrial landscape, every surviving forest patch plays a critical ecological role filtering air, sequestering carbon, and stabilising microclimates. Forest officers have identified around 100 hectares within the newly protected zone for immediate plantation and habitat recovery. Restoring these areas could not only improve air quality but also act as a green buffer for Durgapur’s pollution-heavy environment.
Just a few kilometres away, the Madhaiganj area supports one of southern West Bengal’s only breeding packs of Indian Grey Wolves. Restoring the Hetedoba–Kamalpur forests could create a vital dispersal corridor for these vulnerable predators, strengthening genetic diversity across fragmented habitats.
A hidden biodiversity hotspot
Despite being ringed by industries and highways, this region still teems with life. Camera traps have recorded species such as Fishing Cat, Golden Jackal, Bengal Fox, Jungle Cat, Small Indian Civet, Wild Boar, Indian Hare, and Indian Crested Porcupine. Raptors like Jerdon’s Baza, Amur Falcon, and White-eyed Buzzard continue to frequent the area.
Even the elusive Indian Striped Hyena has been spotted within 20 km of the site evidence that this region forms part of a broader carnivore corridor connecting the industrial plains with the forests of Bankura and Birbhum.
“This is an extraordinary case of biodiversity persisting in the middle of an industrial wasteland,” says a senior Durgapur forest official. “If we lose this patch, we lose an entire ecological narrative of resilience.”
Communities on the edge
For the Santal tribal communities of Maredipara, under Bansgora Mouza, the forest is both livelihood and heritage. Two decades ago, they worked alongside the Forest Department to plant trees here efforts later destroyed by illegal gravel operators.
Now, many villagers are torn between immediate income and long-term survival. Paid merely ₹200–₹300 a day to extract gravel, some are returning to conservation, realising that the forest sustains them in more ways than one. Under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, these communities are eligible for certain forest-based benefits, and many have expressed willingness to participate in restoration if mining stops.
“The gravel owners come with money and pressure,” says a Santal elder. “But the forest gives us life. We want to see trees here again.”
A tug of war between ecology and economy
Forest guards are struggling to contain illegal extraction with limited manpower. Drone surveillance and check posts have been introduced, yet the mining lobby’s economic power remains daunting.
“It’s the classic conflict between short-term profit and long-term sustainability,” says an environmental researcher in Durgapur. “You have wolves, raptors, and forests on one side and an economy built on gravel and construction on the other.”
The road ahead
Experts say the planned 100-hectare restoration could become a model for community-led ecological recovery in a mining landscape. Mixed native species plantations, soil stabilisation, and community co-management could revive the area within a decade. Local NGOs, universities, and corporate CSR programmes are being urged to support the initiative through funding and monitoring.
“This is the last green lung of the Durgapur coal-steel corridor,” says a local conservationist. “If citizens and policymakers unite, it can prove that industry and ecology don’t have to be enemies.”
A call for collective stewardship
The story of Kamalpur–Hetedoba–Bansgora–Parulia is not just about one forest it mirrors India’s struggle to balance economic ambition with ecological responsibility. As illegal miners and forest protectors face off, the outcome will shape more than just the fate of 548 hectares.
Because somewhere in the industrial haze of Paschim Bardhaman, the wolves are still howling waiting for their forest to breathe again.