Chhattisgarh Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo on Friday said Parsa and Kete Extension — two new coal blocks in the Hasdeo Aranya region — would not be opened for mining and that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had given his consent for the same.
This is the first time the Chhattisgarh government has said mining activities will no longer take place in these two blocks where there has been stiff local opposition to mining and deforestation for the past year. Earlier this year, the State government had issued the final clearances that triggered intensified protests.
"I had spoken to the Chief Minister and he was in consonance that no new mines should be opened and that I could go ahead and make the statement on his behalf," Mr. Singh Deo told The Hindu.
