Congress alleges Adani’s Dhirauli coal project in Madhya Pradesh violates FRA and PESA laws, citing forest clearance gaps and threats to tribal rights.
The Congress party on Friday raised serious concerns over Adani Group’s coal block project in Dhirauli, Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh, alleging violations of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996.
Senior Congress leader and former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh claimed that Adani has already begun tree-cutting activities on forest and government land without securing Stage-II forest clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. “Such clearance is mandatory before any diversion or destruction of forest land,” he said.
The Dhirauli area falls under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides special protections for tribal self-governance. According to Ramesh, no consent or consultation has been obtained from the gram sabhas, a process mandated under both PESA and past Supreme Court rulings. He stressed that gram sabhas hold decisive authority, especially in matters of forest land diversion.
Ramesh further warned of the project’s impact on local tribal communities whose lives depend on forests for mahua, tendu leaves, medicinal plants, and fuelwood. Many families, he said, have already faced displacement once, and risk “double displacement” under the new project. He estimated that nearly 3,500 acres of prime forest land are set to be diverted, even though Stage-II approval has not yet been issued.
In early September, Adani Power stated that the coal ministry had cleared production at the Dhirauli mine. However, Congress argues that the approval process remains incomplete and lacks transparency.
“Adani has begun cutting trees on government and forest land in Dhirauli without Stage-II clearance, and in violation of FRA and PESA. Gram sabha consent has not been taken. Tribal communities, including vulnerable groups, are opposing this project,” Ramesh said. The controversy underscores the long-running tension between industrial expansion and the constitutional safeguards designed to protect India’s tribal populations and fragile ecosystems.
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