Elephant corridor route altered in Singrauli coal block working plan:Why forest officials’ reports contradict each other

Proposed mining in the Dhirouli coal block in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district has triggered fresh controversy, with serious concerns that it could wipe out a critical elephant corridor. While two direct-recruit Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers had reported in 2022 that the coal block falls within an elephant corridor, subsequent reports by two promoted IFS officers stated that the corridor lies 5 km away, clearing the way for mining clearance. The contradiction has raised serious questions over changes made to forest working plans and the alteration of elephant corridor maps.
Diversion of 1,397.54 hectares of forest land A total of 1,397.54 hectares of forest land in Baidhan, Mada and Sarai forest ranges of Sarai tehsil in Singrauli district has been diverted for the Dhirouli coal block. This includes 1,335.35 hectares of dense forest and 62.19 hectares of revenue forest.
What the conflicting forest reports reveal Large-scale tree felling proposed for mining in the Dhirouli coal block, allotted on forest land in Singrauli district, has already been under scrutiny. Now, wildlife experts warn that the elephant corridor used by wild elephants faces a serious threat of being wiped out. The forest department has effectively set aside a 2022 report submitted by two direct-recruit IFS officers and declared that the coal block is located 5 km away from the elephant corridor. Until 2022, forest department records clearly identified the Dhirouli forest area as an elephant corridor. However, forest maps prepared after 2023 no longer show this area as part of the corridor. Former forest officials have acknowledged that elephant corridor maps were altered specifically to accommodate the Dhirouli coal block. Two IFS officers who stated the coal block falls within the elephant corridor On 13 April 2022, then DFO Madhu V. Raj submitted information in response to a query from the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Land Management). He stated that the forest land allotted for the Dhirouli coal block is located 10.07 km from Sanjay Tiger Reserve, 58 km from Bagdara Sanctuary and 47 km from Son Gharial Sanctuary. He also clearly stated that, as per the working plan, the forest land affected by the Dhirouli coal block falls within an elephant corridor. Copies of this communication were sent to the then Rewa CCF and to Strata Tech Mineral Pvt. Ltd., the company seeking diversion of forest land.
Two promoted IFS officers who said the corridor lies outside the coal block

On 25 April 2024, the Singrauli DFO sent a proposal to the APCCF (Land Management) seeking revision of the 13 April 2022 opinion. The proposal stated that while the earlier working plan (2009–10 to 2019–20) prepared by Abhitabh Agnihotri had included the affected forest land within the elephant corridor, the currently applicable working plan (2019-20 to 2029-30) prepared by Rajeev Mishra does not. It claimed that the coal block’s forest land is located 5 km away from the elephant corridor. Site inspection in November 2023 On 9 November 2023, the then Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Rewa, Rajesh Kumar Rai, conducted a site inspection of the forest land allotted for the Dhirouli coal block. Based on his detailed report dated 21 November 2023, the forest department recommended coal block allotment to the Centre. Point No. 24 of the report states that, as per the currently applicable working plan (2019–20 to 2028–29) prepared by IFS Rajeev Mishra, only forest beat RF-375 falls within the elephant corridor. However, the report left the status of adjoining and surrounding forest beats ambiguous. The CCF recommended coal block allotment with conditions, including that no activity should obstruct elephant movement within the corridor. Permanent constructions such as buildings, depots, labour camps or other permanent structures were prohibited, and non-forestry use was not permitted in the corridor. Why elephants matter? Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, elephants are listed under Schedule I, the same category as tigers, granting them the highest level of legal protection. Trade, hunting or confinement of elephants is prohibited. Elephants are also recognised as India’s National Heritage Animal. In 1992, the Centre launched Project Elephant to protect elephant habitats, corridors and ensure their long-term survival.
At present, Madhya Pradesh is home to more than 100 wild elephants. Forests in the Rewa and Shahdol divisions have become their permanent habitat. Singrauli’s forests serve as the primary gateway for elephants entering Madhya Pradesh from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, and the same route is used for their return. Working plan determines forest land use Just as urban land use is governed by a master plan, forest land use is determined through a working plan. The Singrauli district working plan for 2009-10 to 2019-20 was prepared by 1988-batch IFS officer Abhitabh Agnihotri, former Director of the National Zoological Park, Delhi, and the State Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur. This plan clearly showed an elephant corridor passing through the forest area affected by the Dhirouli coal block. Forest-related decisions in the Singrauli district were taken on this basis until 2022. A new working plan for 2019–20 to 2029–30 was later prepared by promoted IFS officer Rajeev Mishra and implemented from 2023. In this plan, the elephant corridor was shown to be located 5 km away from the Dhirouli coal block.
Bhaskar Expert
“If a forest area earlier identified as an elephant corridor no longer shows the corridor in a later working plan, it raises suspicion. Such a change is possible only if there has been a major physical alteration, such as construction of a dam or canal. An independent investigation is needed to determine whether this change occurred due to physical changes or whether the corridor route was altered under external pressure.” Forest department’s clarification The earlier working plan identified the Dhirouli forest area as an elephant movement area based on data available up to 2008. The new working plan is based on data collected nearly a decade later. On this basis, the elephant movement area was revised, which is why there is a difference between the two working plans. -Vijay Kumar Ambade, Head of Forest Force, Madhya Pradesh