750 Hectares Of Forest Land Likely To Be Diverted For Coal Mining In Odisha

More than 750 hectares of forest land in Odisha's Angul district is likely to be diverted for mining at the proposed Alakananda coal mine, allotted to Rungta Sons Private Limited. 

The mining site is about 4.9 kilometres from the Similipal-Satkosia Gorge tiger corridor and 8.5 km from the Sambalpur elephant reserve. In recent years, the site and its surrounding areas have witnessed the presence of not only elephants but also sloth bears and



leopards, among other wild animals.

The forest-land diversion, leading to the felling of more than 3.3 lakh trees, was recommended for stage-1 (in-principle) approval by the environment ministry's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) at its meeting on July 7. 

The stage-I clearance stipulates conditions, including compensatory afforestation, which must be fulfilled before the stage-II formal diversion approval can be granted.