NTPC’s Transportation Of Coal By Road : Environment Ministry Directs Jharkhand Government To Act As Per Law
462 persons have died due to man-elephant conflicts as Jharkhand is witnessing increasing disturbances due to coal mining
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has shot a letter to Principal Secretary (Forest), Jharkhand, directing the state government to act as per law in case of transportation of coal by road by Maharatna PSU NTPC Limited. This is in response to a complaint to MoEF&CC by social activist Mantu Soni. Soni has demanded stopping of coal transportation by road by NTPC Limited, which he claims is a violation by the Maharatna PSU of the conditions of Forest Clearance Stage 2 and NBWL by misusing the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the office memorandum (EC) of MoEF&CC.
Soni, in his complaint to MoEF&CC Soni has mentioned and underlined that NTPC is deliberately transporting coal by road and conveyor system. On one hand, NTPC claims that the construction of the conveyor system is incomplete, on the other hand, it is also transporting coal by conveyor system. At the same time, it has taken three years to complete only a few hundred meters of conveyor system on ground of Environment Condition from the Hon’ble Supreme Court and is transporting coal by violating Forest Condition. The reason behind this is said to be manipulation of coal, which has also been detected in the coal challan during investigation by the Mining Department and Forest Department. The Ministry has been told to allow coal transportation by road only till the conveyor system has not been built. Coal is being deliberately transported by road and by claiming that the conveyor is incomplete. He has said that conveyor system is just incomplete for a few hundred metres and NTPC has been taking time again and again from the Hon’ble Supreme Court on ground of Environment Clearance since three years. And coal transportation by road should be allowed only from the point where construction of conveyor belt is incomplete and not by both road and conveyor system.
In the recent past, the state of Jharkhand has seen an alarming increase in man-elephant conflict due to erratic coal mining in the state which has disturbed elephant passes. Due to this, herds of elephants have been forced to change their routes and this has resulted in frequent attacks on villages. Also, elephants been seen on main roads of cities has become quite a regular feature.
The situation in Jharkhand highlights a critical environmental issue, where unregulated coal mining and rapid infrastructure development are exacerbating human-elephant conflicts. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate’s RTI response reveals a worrying death toll of 462 persons due to such conflicts in the past five years, with 133 fatalities in 2021-22 alone.
Jharkhand, a significant elephant habitat in North India, is witnessing increasing disturbances due to coal mining. With seven coal mining projects in central Jharkhand, both government and private operations are impacting the free movement of elephants. As these mining activities fragment forest landscapes, elephants either stray into human settlements or suffer injuries after falling into mining pits. The expansion of mining projects without scientific oversight has intensified these conflicts by creating ‘gap areas’ in forests, cutting off traditional elephant corridors.
The preparation of mining maps and their submission to various government bodies reveal how the coal block allocations are mapped but do not fully account for the environmental implications, particularly the impact on wildlife corridors. If these issues remain unaddressed, the survival of elephants in the region could be jeopardized, along with continued risks to human lives.
It remains to be seen as to what steps will the Jharkhand government take in this regards and what would be the response of NTPC Limited with regards to road transportation of coal.
