Tree felling in Hasdeo: Vishnudev Sai rejected Bhajanlal’s claim
Raipur | Correspondent: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai has refuted Bhajanlal Sharma’s claim of having received permission to cut trees in Hasdeo Aranya. Regarding the matter, Sai suggested that Sharma might have been mistaken.
It’s worth noting that Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma had expressed gratitude to Sai for supposedly granting permission to clear 91.21 hectares in the second phase of the Parsa East Kete Basan coal mine allocated to Rajasthan.
Sharma further requested permission to clear additional parts of the Hasdeo forest.
What did Bhajanlal Sharma say?
On July 12, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma posted on social media:
“Rajasthan Government committed to ensure uninterrupted power supply…
On behalf of the entire Rajasthan family, heartfelt thanks to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of the state, Shri @vishnudsai ji, for granting permission by the Chhattisgarh Government to use 91.21 hectares of forest land of Parsa East and Kanta Basan (PEKB) coal block operated in Hasdeo Aranya Coalfield for supply of coal to the power plants of Rajasthan.
Apart from this, in order to establish uninterrupted power supply in Rajasthan, I humbly request the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh to fulfill the following demands:
1. Ensure the arrangement to transfer the said land to RVUN after cutting trees on 108 hectares of land required to continue mining operations from PEKB coal block and to achieve production capacity of 18 MTPA in the financial year 2024-25, and after cutting trees on 411 hectares of land required for mining operations for the next six years from the financial year 2025-26.
2. To start mining work at Parsa coal block, make arrangements to cut trees on the concerned land and transfer the said land to RVUN.
3. Ensure arrangements for getting the necessary public hearing and registration of forest department permission for environmental clearance of Kente Extension coal block done with Chhattisgarh government without delay.
In accordance with the resolution of ‘Apna Agrani Rajasthan’, our government is constantly striving to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the state of Rajasthan.”
What did Vishnudev Sai say?
Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai responded, “No, there is no such thing. Nothing like this has happened from our side.”
Regarding Sharma’s gratitude, Sai commented, “Yes, it may have been a mistake from his side.”
The political landscape has heated up following Sai’s statements.
Ashok Gehlot calls it a ploy to spread confusion
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot criticized Bhajanlal Sharma, stating on social media:
“It is very surprising that there is a contradiction between the statements of the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri Bhajanlal ji claims that the Chhattisgarh government has permitted the use of 91.21 hectares of forest land in the Parsa East and Kanta Basan (PEKB) coal block operated in Hasdeo Aranya to supply coal to Rajasthan’s power plants. However, today, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai says there is no such thing.”
Gehlot further wrote, “The people of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh deserve to know the truth. Are the officials misleading both Chief Ministers, or are the Chief Ministers together misleading the public for their respective political interests? Both governments need to be sensitive to such an important issue as electricity, but who stands to gain from such misleading politics?”
