NEW DELHI: A coal mine in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district is being transformed into a green landscape through large-scale afforestation, with Adani Enterprises Ltd planting over 1.6 million trees and saplings across 568 hectares at the Parsa East and Kanta Basan (PEKB) mine.
The company operates the mine as developer and operator for Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RVUNL). Officials said the initiative highlights how mined land can be restored after coal extraction through systematic greening efforts.
The project aims to increase green cover to over 4 million trees by the end of the decade as part of efforts to restore mined land and enhance biodiversity in the region.
Under the programme, 40 trees are planted for every tree removed for mining activities. Native species such as sal, mahua, tendu, amaltas and sidha have been planted, with the company reporting a survival rate of about 88%.
The Union Coal Ministry, in a LinkedIn post, described the ecological restoration at the PEKB coal mine as a “remarkable” example of sustainable mining practices. It said the site, once an active mining area, has been transformed into a green landscape, highlighting the potential for ecological restoration after coal extraction.
Adani has also developed a 3.5-hectare nursery with around 500,000 saplings and reported successful regeneration of sal forests in the area. The company said it has carried out compensatory afforestation across more than 4,000 hectares in Surguja, Korea, Balrampur and Surajpur forest divisions, and deposited over Rs 259 crore with the Chhattisgarh government for afforestation, wildlife management and other environmental measures.
Officials said the restoration effort is part of a broader programme combining mining operations with ecological rehabilitation and community development initiatives focused on education, healthcare and livelihoods. The company said it complies with all forest and environmental clearance requirements and regularly submits monitoring reports to state and central authorities.
(With input from PTI)
