FAC Approves SCCL Proposal For Diversion Of 162.45 Hectares Of Forest Land In Mancherial District
A proposal by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) for the diversion of 162.45 hectares of forest land in the Indaram Reserved Forest in the Mancherial district was approved by the Forest Advisory Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The SCCL kept the proposal as a part of Open Cast-II coal mine expansion project in Srirampur. As a result, at least 34,621 trees will be axed. The approval was given by the FAC at a meeting conducted on 27 January but the news came out recently.
More than 114 hectares of forest land was previously acquired for the open-cast mine, to which 162.45 hectares would be added.
A number of proposals seeking forest clearance for coal mining have been sought by the SCCL, pointing out the need to meet the "ever increasing" demand for coal.
