Rajasthan PSU’s Hasdeo mine bid raises the cost of coal
RVUNL wants clearance to raze 1,742.6 hectares and cut 4.48 lakh trees in Hasdeo-Arand, reopening a battle over power supply, forests and state control.
Rajasthan’s state-run utility RVUNL has asked the Centre to approve diversion of 1,742.6 hectares of forest in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo-Arand and fell 4.48 lakh trees for its Kente Extension coal mine, with the Forest Advisory Committee set to examine the case, 
The Indian Express reported. The company says the proposal follows the Forest Conservation law and includes compensatory afforestation on 3,236.08 hectares elsewhere, but the political balance is already clear: Rajasthan needs captive coal, while Chhattisgarh absorbs the environmental and social cost.
Why this mine matters
This is not an isolated project. RVUNL was allotted the coal block in October 2015 for captive use at its Chhabra and Suratgarh plants, and Adani Group is the mine developer and operator, The Indian Express said. That makes the project a textbook case of how India’s coal chain works: a power deficit state secures fuel far from home, while a forest-rich state carries the land-use burden.
The timing matters because Hasdeo-Arand has become the country’s most watched forest-versus-coal battleground. 
The Hindu noted that the area was once treated as a “no-go” zone before earlier clearances opened the door to mining. More recently, opposition to fresh mining in Hasdeo has sharpened: The Hindu reported that a Chhattisgarh approval in August 2025 could pave the way for the felling of 4.5 lakh trees and triggered criticism from environmentalists and the Opposition.
Who benefits, who loses
The immediate beneficiary is RVUNL, which gets a longer runway for coal supply to Rajasthan’s thermal plants. The developer also stands to gain if the mine is expanded and production deepens. The losers are more visible on the ground: forest-dependent communities, wildlife corridors, and the state’s remaining dense sal forest. 
NewsDrum/PTI said the project area is estimated to affect 4,48,874 trees and sits near the Lemru Elephant Reserve and the Ramgarh archaeological site.
That geography explains the resistance. Hasdeo is not marginal forest; it is a politically charged landscape where every clearance is read as precedent. Once one block moves, the argument for the next becomes easier. That is why activists and Congress leaders have framed the latest proposal as an expansion of a larger project, not a standalone mine, NewsDrum/PTI reported.
What to watch next
The key decision is Friday’s Forest Advisory Committee appraisal, which will signal whether the Environment Ministry is willing to trade more of Hasdeo for coal, The Indian Express reported. If the FAC advances the file, the next fight shifts to compensatory afforestation, wildlife safeguards and litigation.
Watch three things: whether the ministry demands redesign or reduction; whether Chhattisgarh’s political leadership backs the diversion; and whether fresh legal challenges emerge from Hasdeo’s long-running protest network. For broader tracking, see 
India and Global Politics.
