Jairam Ramesh hits again at Centre over its rebuttal of his costs on Dhirauli coal mine venture

Congress chief Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) reiterated his costs of “blatant irregularities” within the approval course of for Adani Group’s Dhirauli coal mining venture and cited a 2023 reply within the Lok Sabha by the Coal Ministry to assert that the venture falls in an space protected below the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.

Mr. Ramesh alleged that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s rebuttal of his statements earlier, stating that the mining land didn’t fall within the space protected below the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, was “false”.

There was no instant response from the Environment Ministry or the Adani Group on his allegations.

In a rebuttal to Mr. Ramesh’s allegations final week, the Environment Ministry had mentioned, “Both Stage-I and Stage-II approvals have been duly granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Allegations with regard to violations of constitutional protections are factually incorrect and misleading.”

“I had raised the issue of the blatant irregularities in the approval process for Modani’s Dhirauli coal mining project on September 12th. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MOEF) responded almost immediately claiming that — the mining land did not fall in the area protected under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution; the required legal process under the Forest Right Act, 2006 had been duly completed,” Mr. Ramesh mentioned on X on Wednesday (September 17, 2025).

“The first claim is false. On August 9, 2023, the-then Union Minister of Coal answered clearly and categorically in the Lok Sabha that the Dhirauli coal mining project actually fell in an area protected under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution,” he mentioned and shared the screenshot of the Ministry’s reply.

As far because the second declare is anxious, the Forest Rights Act, 2006, contains not simply particular person forest rights but additionally neighborhood forest useful resource rights (CFR) and habitat rights of notably susceptible tribal teams (PVTGs), Ramesh mentioned.

The Dhirauli coal mine includes the diversion of about 3,500 acres of forest land throughout 5 villages, with at the least three different villages adjoining to those forests prone to be depending on them, he identified.

All the three forms of tribal rights in these eight villages must be settled first, Ramesh argued.

“On March 31, 2022, the District Collector had certified that the complete process for identification and settlement of rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, had been carried out and that the rights of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups had been safeguarded. But by the Madhya Pradesh’s government’s own information, no community rights or habitat rights in the entire district of Singrauli, in which these eight villages are located, have been recognised till now,” the Congress chief mentioned.

Last Friday, Mr. Ramesh had alleged that the Adani Group has begun slicing bushes on authorities and forest land for its coal mine venture in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhirauli in “blatant violation” of the Forest Rights Act. The State authorities, nevertheless, had rejected the allegation as baseless.

The former Environment Minister had additionally claimed that the Mr. Modi authorities imposed this allotment from above in 2019, and is now speeding forward with it in 2025 with out the important authorized clearances.

Refuting the fees, the Madhya Pradesh authorities had mentioned all mandatory approvals and processes have been duly adopted and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted Stage-II approval (ultimate approval) for the Dhirauli venture.

It claimed that the venture land neither comes below the PESA space nor the Fifth Schedule Area, and a public listening to had been carried out as per guidelines and with the Gram Sabha approval. It additionally mentioned the method of paying whole compensation of ₹18 crore to 49 patta house owners is underway on the district stage.

Earlier this month, Adani Power mentioned it had acquired the coal ministry approval to begin mining operations on the Dhirauli mine in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh.

According to the assertion, Adani Power has acquired approval from the Ministry of Coal to start operations on the Dhirauli mine.