ORDER

1. This Original Application is registered suo-motu on the basis of the news item titled "Coal Over Conservation: State Wildlife Board Okays Mining in Chandrapur Tiger Corridor" appearing in The Times of India dated 27.08.2024.

2. The matter relates to the approval granted by the State Board for Wildlife to Western Coalfield Limited’s (WCL) Durgapur open cast mine to operate in a tiger corridor in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. As per the article, the state government had sent a recommendation to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for diverting 80.77 ha of reserve forest land for renewal of mining lease under Van Adhiniyam, 1980 in compartment numbers 400 & 401 of Chandrapur forest division. The article highlights that as the project is 12.25km away from Tadoba- Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and falls in the buffer zone and tiger corridor between Tadoba-Tipeshwar-Kawal, obtaining wildlife clearance was mandatory.

3. The article further states that The WCL plans to mine 15.20 million metric tons (MT) of coal from the forest area, which is equivalent to the size of 182 football fields. Moreover, during the period from 2005 to 2013, WCL already mined 7.20 MT w