The coalfield under the lungs of central India, and what PESA gives the Gram Sabha there

Background

The Hasdeo Arand forest in northern Chhattisgarh is often called the lungs of central India. The Hasdeo Arand coalfield spreads over 1,879.6 square kilometres and is estimated to hold 5.179 billion tonnes of coal. The forest supports 640 floral species, 128 medicinal plants and 92 bird species, along with elephants, sloth bears and leopards. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education points to its water role: the Hasdeo River and the Hasdeo Bango Dam irrigate 300,000 hectares of farmland. Hasdeo lies in a Fifth Schedule area, where the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 applies. Under Section 4 (e) of PESA, Gram Sabhas can clear or refuse a development project and manage community resources such as forests. A further law, the Forest Rights Act of 2006, adds Community Forest Resource rights for the same communities. Gond, Oraon and other communities live in and around the forest.