Maha govt seeks centre’s intervention for Chhattisgarh coal block nod
COAL & MINING

Maha govt seeks centre’s intervention for Chhattisgarh coal block nod

Maharashtra has asked for the coal ministry’s involvement in obtaining forest approval for the Chhattisgarh government coal block allocated to its power stations in the Vidarbha area, becoming the second state to knock on the government's doors over mining limitations in a state that has the nation's third-largest coal deposits.

Last week, MAHAGENCO (Maharashtra State Power Generation Company) MD Sanjay Khandare wrote to coal secretary Anil Jain, saying the utility had met the requirements for forest diversion for the Gare Palma-II coal block in October last year, but the state government was yet to send its recommendation for Stage-I forest approval to the Government.

Khandare urged the ministry to interfere in the matter as early approval was necessary to begin production from the block, situated in the Raipur district of Chhattisgarh, by the October 2023 deadline. It is the second instance of setbacks being met by coal block owners in Chhattisgarh.

Rajasthan was the first to urge the Centre as the Chhattisgarh government stalled approvals for commencing two new mines and ramping up production from two others allotted to Rajasthan.

As both the states have the Congress in office, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot escalated the issue to party president Sonia Gandhi after his letters to Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel seeking prompt action went ignored. The Gare Palma-II block was granted in August 2015 to MAHAGENCO for fuelling the Koradi, Chandrapur-8 power facilities, the largest production complex in the state’s Vidarbha area.

The block has a peak yearly production capacity of more than 23 million tonnes. MAHAGENCO had applied for forest approval in 2016 for 214 hectares of forest land. However, the application could not be processed because of the unavailability of government land for compensatory afforestation.

Image Source

Maharashtra has asked for the coal ministry’s involvement in obtaining forest approval for the Chhattisgarh government coal block allocated to its power stations in the Vidarbha area, becoming the second state to knock on the government's doors over mining limitations in a state that has the nation's third-largest coal deposits. Last week, MAHAGENCO (Maharashtra State Power Generation Company) MD Sanjay Khandare wrote to coal secretary Anil Jain, saying the utility had met the requirements for forest diversion for the Gare Palma-II coal block in October last year, but the state government was yet to send its recommendation for Stage-I forest approval to the Government. Khandare urged the ministry to interfere in the matter as early approval was necessary to begin production from the block, situated in the Raipur district of Chhattisgarh, by the October 2023 deadline. It is the second instance of setbacks being met by coal block owners in Chhattisgarh. Rajasthan was the first to urge the Centre as the Chhattisgarh government stalled approvals for commencing two new mines and ramping up production from two others allotted to Rajasthan. As both the states have the Congress in office, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot escalated the issue to party president Sonia Gandhi after his letters to Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel seeking prompt action went ignored. The Gare Palma-II block was granted in August 2015 to MAHAGENCO for fuelling the Koradi, Chandrapur-8 power facilities, the largest production complex in the state’s Vidarbha area. The block has a peak yearly production capacity of more than 23 million tonnes. MAHAGENCO had applied for forest approval in 2016 for 214 hectares of forest land. However, the application could not be processed because of the unavailability of government land for compensatory afforestation. Image Source

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

VECV Sales Rise 7.8 Per Cent In May 2026

VE Commercial Vehicles recorded sales of 7,978 units in May 2026, compared to 7,401 units in May 2025, registering growth of 7.8 per cent. This included 7,789 units from the Eicher brand and 189 units from the Volvo brand.Eicher branded trucks and buses reported sales of 7,789 units during the month, up 7.3 per cent from 7,258 units a year earlier. In the domestic commercial vehicle market, Eicher sales rose 9.1 per cent to 7,375 units from 6,758 units in May 2025.Exports declined 17.2 per cent to 414 units from 500 units in the corresponding month last year. Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses recor..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Table Space Strengthens DESYN Leadership Team

Table Space has announced strategic leadership appointments within DESYN, its integrated Design and Build business, as it looks to strengthen operations across key enterprise and GCC markets in India. DESYN was launched as a strategic extension of Table Space’s workspace solutions portfolio to meet rising demand for agile, high-quality and rapidly deployable enterprise workspaces.Shruti Ookabhoy has joined DESYN as Executive Director and will lead the Design vertical, focusing on design capability, operational excellence and team development across markets. She brings over 22 years of experi..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Concord Associate Bags Rs 2.79 Bn Kavach Order

Concord Control Systems said its associate company, Progota India, has received a Rs 2.79 bn domestic order from Indian Railways for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of on-board Kavach 4.0 loco equipment.The order is scheduled for execution within 12 months and strengthens Concord’s role in India’s railway safety and signalling ecosystem. Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, designed to improve operational safety by helping prevent signal passing at danger and reducing collision risks.Gaurav Lath, Joint Managing Director, Concord Control Syst..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement