On 21st and 22nd December, 2023, authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district cleared thousands of trees over hundreds of hectares for the phase-2 extension of coal mines in the Hasdeo Arand forest. 

Over the past one decade, Adivasis have been a part of a struggle to save Hasdeo Arand forests that stretch across over 1,500 km through Chhattisgarh. The area is home to India’s tribal communities, with an estimated five billion tonnes of coal buried under the dense forests. 

In this episode of Climate Emergency, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya speaks to Adivasis from villages in Korba and Sarguja districts of Chattisgarh, to understand their concerns regarding the felling of trees in Hasdeo for coal mining.  She also speaks to Alok Shukla, the convenor of Chattisgarh Bachao Andolan and has been associated with the Hasdeo moment for a decade. 

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