Over 500 Trees Cut for Rowghat Mine Access Road, BSP Denies Forest Rule Violation

More than 500 trees were allegedly felled for constructing a dirt road to transport iron ore from the Rowghat mine in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district without prior approval from the Forest Department, officials said on Sunday. The mine operator, however, has denied any violation and claimed the road was built within an already approved forest clearance area.

The Forest Department inspected the site near Sargipali village on June 18 and found that a road had been constructed, following which a Preliminary Offence Report (POR) was registered. A five-member inquiry committee was later formed, which reported that the road was built without statutory permission.

The inquiry estimated that around 540 trees were cut , though officials said the number could increase after a detailed assessment. The report also noted that parts of a hilly area were cleared during construction of the 1.34-km-long road , which is around 10 metres wide and intended for movement of iron ore trucks to a railway loading point.

Following the findings, three forest guards and two range assistants were removed from the area and served notices. Notices were also issued to officials, including the local ranger and sub-divisional forest officer, while Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) was asked to respond.

BSP, a unit of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and the allottee of the Rowghat mine, rejected the allegations. BSP Executive Director Arun Kumar said the road was constructed within the 883-hectare forest clearance area approved in 2009 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and that all required permissions were in place.

Meanwhile, Kanker MP Bhojraj Nag called the matter serious and said strict action should be taken if trees were cut without approval.