June, 2025 Newsletter : Adani started cutting forests in Mudagaon of Tamnar, the entire area became a police camp
June, 2025
Newsletter
Message
Dear friends,
Johar!
This newsletter is an initiative of the Justice in Mining Network- South Asia to compile the issues and struggles of the mining-affected communities in different regions of India. We intend to raise awareness on the human and environmental rights violation in the extractive industry and inspire students, youth, civil societies and concerned citizens to support the rights of the projects-affected peoples.
June 5 marks the 53rd World Environment Day. However, several projects-based deforestations have cleared thousands of hectares of forests and ecologies all over India in the month of June this year. The clearing of forests in the eco-sensitive zones of Himalayas for infrastructural projects is like the deforestation in Adivasi-populated areas of Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) and Tamnar, Raigarh (Chhattisgarh). The resistance of the people is met with brutal state-sponsored violence against its own citizens in the name of combating left-wing extremism as the death tolls of innocent Adivasis increases in Bastar, Dantewada and Narayanpur of Chhattisgarh. The government has become a puppet or ally to the private companies as they are reforming the mining and environmental laws to ease the new acquisitions, remove environmental safeguards, increase competition among the states to extract more minerals despite the country having sufficient mineral for current use, and provide subsidies to states that allow more mining while neglecting or even crushing the affected-peoples’ concern.
Mining that was a public-service oriented sector has been privatised for individual capitalists and elites’ interests. In such challenging times, the resistance of the people is also growing stronger and has achieved a few major victories that restore faith in civil movement and constitutional rights. After public consultation, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has cancelled the funding to Adani’s solar power project in Assam that would have displaced several forest-based tribal communities.
We hope that newsletter provides a holistic view of the resource-extraction by the state-aided “reforms” to the companies, environmental degradation and accelerating privatisation, and need for a broader people’s movement.
We call for an expression of solidarity with the larger civil societies and movements. Contributions from youth, activists and affected persons is much welcome and encouraged for publication here. We welcome suggestions and feedback.
Please write to us justiceinminingnetwork@gmail.com
Highlights
The Indian financial system is quite literally facing a Himalayan challenge. As the Himalayan region veers down the climate precipice with rising temperatures, unprecedented rains, floods, landslides, avalanches and threateningly expanding glacial lakes, it has become a critical site for what bankers refer to as climate-related finance risks. All big investments such as dams, tunnels, highways, solar parks and transmission lines dotting the mountain region, and those at the planning stage, are at risk of physical destruction owing to climate-related extreme events. As a result, investing institutions are staring at rising costs and possible losses.
Approval for expanding production from 10 to 26 MTPA comes with wildlife safeguards and follows within weeks of another green light from the Environment Ministry to clear over 900 hectares of forest and cut more than 100,000 trees for Lloyds Metals and Energy’s ore-washing plant.
The deforestation started by Adani Group in Mudagaon village, dependent on Gram Panchayat Saraitola, under Tamnar tehsil of Raigad district has once again heated up the issue of environment and tribal rights. Hundreds of police forces have been deployed for this felling, and it is alleged that the forest is being felled while local tribals are being imprisoned in their homes.
Soni speaks with urgency and desperation, highlighting the unholy alliance between development propaganda and destruction. Where the state sees roads, she sees invasive veins draining livelihoods, minerals, resources, Adivasi lifeblood.
Laws
In continuation with the guidelines for the scheme for special assistance to states for capital investment 2025-26 issued vide letter of even number dated 7 April, 2025, the following guidelines are issued for various reform-based parts of the scheme. The objective is to facilitate increase in mineral production, increase in revenue collection by states from mining and incentivise reforms. An amount of Rs 5,000 crore is earmarked for this part of the scheme to provide incentive to the states for carrying out mining sector reforms pertaining to – minor mineral reforms, major mineral reforms and state mining readiness index-based reforms.
In Jamshedpur, a historic mass movement was organized at the district office under the leadership of Majhi Pargana Mahal, in which the Mukhiya Sangh Jamshedpur actively participated. Through this mass movement, a memorandum of demands was submitted to the state government on three important points.
The government has increased the speed of government work for industries set up in the state at least three times. The special thing is that this change has come after 14 years. Not only this, but the government is also giving a guarantee that now the work will be done on time. Now those setting up industries will have to make fewer rounds of government offices for their work.
A high-powered committee of experts, chaired by Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) Ajay Sood, has recommended that India do away with a decade-long policy of mandating equipment, called Flu Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units, in all coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs). 92% of India’s 600 coal plant units are yet to install FGDs; panel recommends exemption of 80% which are not near major population centres; report says FGDs may increase long-lived CO2 emissions while reducing short-lived SO2.
The agreement has been made with Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Jamnagar — a la Anant Ambani’s famed Vantara — to manage Delhi Zoo, per a circular that has been circulating. Such private stewardship defeat the very point of the public service the National Zoo is meant to render, besides the controversies surrounding Vantara.
People’s movements
The arrest of four displaced people—Sarita Kaushik, Gomti Kewat, Meena Kanwar and Lambodar Shyam—who were peacefully protesting for employment and rehabilitation in the Kusmunda mine area of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) has generated massive anger among farmer organizations. The land of many villages in the Kusmunda mine area was acquired for coal mining between 1978 and 2004. Despite this, thousands of displaced people neither got employment nor proper rehabilitation.
Environment activist Medha Patkar was detained along with over 20 others by the Rayagada administration shortly after she arrived in the Odisha district on Thursday to participate in a public meeting in protest against the proposed bauxite mining by Vedanta Limited. Officials barred her from reaching the place along with 24 others, including activist Prafulla Samantra and IRS officer Sunanda Jhodia, citing that her presence at the protest at Sunger Hatapada village, organised by anti-mining forum ‘Maa Mati Mali Surakshya Mancha’, could create a law-and-order situation.
The mining companies of the country are presenting exaggerated figures about the iron reserves in the Saranda region. This is creating confusion. The above words were said by Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Rai. He said that the Mines and Geology Department of the Jharkhand government should work sensitively in the matter of Saranda dense forest area. He said that the mining department's belief that mining would not be possible in an area of 10 square kilometres due to the creation of a wildlife sanctuary in about 55 lakh hectares of Saranda is wrong.
The protest started by the villagers against the transportation of coal from the coal mines located in Panchuwada of Pakur to the Dumka station rack continued for the second consecutive day on Monday. During this time, the wheels of the vehicles carrying coal remained stopped. The villagers demand that the interests of the people should be stopped from being ignored. They say that the agency working in the mines area, West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) will have to find a concrete solution to our demand, only then will they withdraw the agitation.
In the much talked about Bajramunda compensation case of Raigarh, the then SDM Ashok Kumar Marble has been suspended. Earlier, an FIR was also registered against him in this alleged scam of Rs 400 crore. This case had crossed all limits of corruption in the land acquisition for a government power plant, where compensation worth crores was distributed by showing ordinary huts as luxurious palaces made of granite and marble.
On 30 June, Hul Diwas and Community Forest Rights Awareness Program was organized in the Kars of Tandwa Block under the aegis of Gram Sabha Kars and Forest Rights Committee, in which the chief guest Vikas Mahato paid humble tribute while remembering the heroes and martyrs of the Santhal rebellion. The entire Santhal and Chhotanagpur region was agitated by the Hul revolution under the leadership of the heroes of the Santhal rebellion, Sindho, Kanhu, Chand, Bhairava, Phoolo, Jhano, Chanku, Mahato, Baijal, Soren, Rajveer Singh.
Silver Lining
In a landmark victory for indigenous rights and environmental justice, the Asian Development Bank cancelled its $434 million loan and technical assistance for a 500 MW solar PV facility, Assam Solar Park in Karbi Anglong District on 23 May, 2025. This decision follows a sustained, community-led campaign by the Karbi Anglong Solar Power Project Affected People’s Rights Committee, representing over 20,000 Karbi, Naga, and Adivasi families who were threatened to be displaced from their ancestral lands by this project.
An order has been issued to return 23 acres of land to Navdurga Fuel Power Limited located on Raigarh-Gharghoda road. The Revenue Department has issued this order after it was confirmed that Kotwari land has been illegally occupied for 20 years.
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