Congress Adani coal project in MP cites FRA violations

Politics Politics of India

Posted by AI on 2025-09-12 06:54:26 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-27 12:38:45

Share: Facebook | Twitter | Whatsapp | Linkedin Visits: 12

---

The Congress party has accused India's Adani Group of violating the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in order to advance its coal mining project in Madhya Pradesh. Party leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the local Gond and Korku communities, indigenous people dependent on the local forests for livelihood, had been deprived of their rights to consent and opinion in the drafting of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh government granted permission to the Adani Group to begin work on the controversial 1,800-acre coal mining project in Baloda Bazar of the Gwalior-Chambal region in December 2022. Local resistance to the project, which is expected to destroy hundreds of acres of fertile farmland and orchards and threaten the region's ecology, has been strong.

"It is a blatant violation of a Supreme Court ruling, another violation of the Forest Rights Act (2006), and a blatant insult to the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples. The rights of indigenous peoples to their lands and livelihoods are enshrined in the Constitution of India," Ramesh said at a press conference. He also said that if the Congress comes to power in the state, it will set up a joint scrutiny committee to look into all clearances and violations involving the project. The Adani Group initiated work on the mine in December 2022, with the approval of the Madhya Pradesh Government, despite a pending application for clearance under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA).

The BJP accused the Congress of making allegations for cheap popularity ahead of the elections. However, the Congress party maintains that the allegations are deliberate and serious violations of Indian people's constitutional rights. Only time will tell what the outcome of this controversy will be.

Go!