Green Lighting Coal Mines In Odisha’s Angul District Can Endanger Elephants

Researchers TS Karthy and GV Gopi at the WildLife Institute of India (WLII) have slammed the Odisha government for its greed to turn chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s home district Anugul into a coal mining hub. They have urged the state government to reconsider their business decision as it will squeeze elephants out of its habitat. They say, ensuring Odisha elephants survival is important to WLII because Odisha holds the highest number of Asian elephants in the east central region of India numbering about 1,976. Anugul, CM’s home district accounts for 20% of India’s coal reserve and Majhi’s interest is to revive the closed coal mines to bring in employment and revenue to his government. This possibility has now set the alarm bells ringing at WLII asking how coal mines and elephants will cohabit together? WLII’s two researchers say “if the Majhi government green lights all the inactive coal mines into operation at Anugul, it would mean destruction of 390 sq km of forest in the protected area which is already hindering the movements of the elephants.