Knowledge partners:
Addressed to:
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEfCC)
National Board for Wildlife
Maharashtra Forest Department
Demands:
Pause all mining-related clearances and activities in Gadchiroli
Review all approvals with full ecological, hydrological, and social assessments, including Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) , Detailed Project Reports (DPR) etc
Recognize forests and tiger corridor as protected areas
Comply with the regulations under Forest Rights Act, 2006 and PESA
Uphold the consent of Adivasi communities through Gram Sabhas and transparent public hearing
What’s happening?
Gadchiroli, which houses over 70% of Maharashtra’s forest cover, is on the brink of destruction from mining-related activities. The region serves as a cultural and economic lifeline for countless indigenous communities like the Gonds and Madia tribes. Yet, large corporations like Omsairam Steels and Alloys Private Limited, JSW Steels Limited, Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Limited, among others are turning it into a hub for mining, backed by political mandate.
Most recently, Lloyds Metals & Energy received an environmental clearance for their proposal to raze over 1 lakh trees on 937 hectares of forest land in Gadchiroli Reserve Forest to set up an iron-ore processing plant. This also means that one of India’s most vital tiger corridors will be destroyed.
Multiple mining and processing projects are underway, including those in Surjagad, Konsari, Durgapur and Indravati. Shockingly, numerous environmental approvals have been granted without Gram Sabha (village council) consultation or consent, required under both PESA (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas), 1996, and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Gadchiroli has 1,567 villages of which 1,311 come under PESA. By virtue of this protection, mining related activities in the area cannot take place without the consent of the villagers. Yet, locals report being excluded or intimidated during public hearings, rendering their voices invisible. There is no prior, and informed consent!
Meetings and consultations are often held far away, making it hard for affected villagers to attend. Using “security” as an excuse, officials exclude local voices.
Social impact
Industrial and mining projects in the region are encroaching upon not only the sacred groves of Adivasi communities but also the natural wildlife habitat for many species. The livelihoods of Mahua and Tendu collectors, subsistence farmers and forest-reliant communities are under threat, as forest lands are repurposed for mining and other industrial activities without consent or safeguards!
Many of them are given false promises of lucrative jobs to compensate for their loss of livelihood, but are eventually forced into jobs like those of security guards, and are forced into mining-related labour tasks.
With the arrival of outsiders, there’s been a disturbing rise in gender-based violence. Women report increased harassment, fear venturing out alone, and feel a growing sense of insecurity in their own homes, in their villages. Their safety, autonomy, and way of life are slowly getting eroded, a 2023 report titled ‘Mining, Repression and Resistance’ notes.
Ecological repercussions
Most of these mining projects by large corporate organisations make promises of compensatory afforestation. The sites selected for afforestation are almost always miles away from the affected areas, serving no real purpose.
Iron ore processing requires significant amounts of water for ore beneficiation and dust control. Overuse of water for processing may deplete groundwater levels, exacerbating risks of water shortage. Chopping lakhs of trees will strip away protective vegetation and topsoil, making the region vulnerable to soil erosion, degraded soil and siltation of rivers.
Iron ore mining leads to discharge of chemical effluents into the rivers, turning freshwater red and unfit for consumption. Run off water from the plant also carries heavy sediments and metals into streams, further downgrading the water quality and enhancing risk of contamination. This adversely affects the health of not just indigenous communities living in close proximity, but also that of the wildlife dependent on these water sources.
It is believed that people in the region suffer from various diseases such as Silicosis, dehydration and gastro-intestinal irritation. Iron ore can interfere with normal body fluid regulation long after a mine has been inoperational.
Deforestation and soil erosion, will in-turn increase sedimentation in rivers, making Gadchiroli even more vulnerable to flooding, thereby damaging crops, homes and infrastructure.
Human-animal conflict
The dense forest in Gadchiroli is an ecosystem that connects Tadoba and Indravati Tiger Reserves – a crucial wildlife corridor for tigers, leopards, and elephants.
Many of the mining projects, such as the recent proposal by Lloyds Metals & Energy, evade clearances from the National Board for Wildlife, despite falling in the purview of the tiger corridor. This kind of encroachment adversely affects the safety of wildlife in the region. When there is threat to wildlife, and their habitat is stolen, they are driven out of their forests and into residential areas, exacerbating the risk of human-animal conflict. In Chandrapur, over 11 people lost their lives to tiger attacks in May 2025, alone!
This occurrence is likely to worsen as humans encroach into habitats of the wild.
What is happening in Gadchiroli is an assault on dignity, democracy and the future of forest based communities. Forests are being cleared, rivers poisoned and sacred lands desecrated – all for profit.
We are demanding an immediate halt to mining in the region. Gadchiroli is bleeding and this invasion must stop.
Sources:
Tiger attacks: 11 killed in May in Maharashtra's Chandrapur
https://thewire.in/rights/independence-mining-gadchiroli-adivasi-protest-maharashtra
Knowledge partners:
Addressed to:
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEfCC)
National Board for Wildlife
Maharashtra Forest Department
Demands:
Pause all mining-related clearances and activities in Gadchiroli
Review all approvals with full ecological, hydrological, and social assessments, including Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) , Detailed Project Reports (DPR) etc
Recognize forests and tiger corridor as protected areas
Comply with the regulations under Forest Rights Act, 2006 and PESA
Uphold the consent of Adivasi communities through Gram Sabhas and transparent public hearing
What’s happening?
Gadchiroli, which houses over 70% of Maharashtra’s forest cover, is on the brink of destruction from mining-related activities. The region serves as a cultural and economic lifeline for countless indigenous communities like the Gonds and Madia tribes. Yet, large corporations like Omsairam Steels and Alloys Private Limited, JSW Steels Limited, Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Limited, among others are turning it into a hub for mining, backed by political mandate.
Most recently, Lloyds Metals & Energy received an environmental clearance for their proposal to raze over 1 lakh trees on 937 hectares of forest land in Gadchiroli Reserve Forest to set up an iron-ore processing plant. This also means that one of India’s most vital tiger corridors will be destroyed.
Multiple mining and processing projects are underway, including those in Surjagad, Konsari, Durgapur and Indravati. Shockingly, numerous environmental approvals have been granted without Gram Sabha (village council) consultation or consent, required under both PESA (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas), 1996, and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Gadchiroli has 1,567 villages of which 1,311 come under PESA. By virtue of this protection, mining related activities in the area cannot take place without the consent of the villagers. Yet, locals report being excluded or intimidated during public hearings, rendering their voices invisible. There is no prior, and informed consent!
Meetings and consultations are often held far away, making it hard for affected villagers to attend. Using “security” as an excuse, officials exclude local voices.
Social impact
Industrial and mining projects in the region are encroaching upon not only the sacred groves of Adivasi communities but also the natural wildlife habitat for many species. The livelihoods of Mahua and Tendu collectors, subsistence farmers and forest-reliant communities are under threat, as forest lands are repurposed for mining and other industrial activities without consent or safeguards!
Many of them are given false promises of lucrative jobs to compensate for their loss of livelihood, but are eventually forced into jobs like those of security guards, and are forced into mining-related labour tasks.
With the arrival of outsiders, there’s been a disturbing rise in gender-based violence. Women report increased harassment, fear venturing out alone, and feel a growing sense of insecurity in their own homes, in their villages. Their safety, autonomy, and way of life are slowly getting eroded, a 2023 report titled ‘Mining, Repression and Resistance’ notes.
Ecological repercussions
Most of these mining projects by large corporate organisations make promises of compensatory afforestation. The sites selected for afforestation are almost always miles away from the affected areas, serving no real purpose.
Iron ore processing requires significant amounts of water for ore beneficiation and dust control. Overuse of water for processing may deplete groundwater levels, exacerbating risks of water shortage. Chopping lakhs of trees will strip away protective vegetation and topsoil, making the region vulnerable to soil erosion, degraded soil and siltation of rivers.
Iron ore mining leads to discharge of chemical effluents into the rivers, turning freshwater red and unfit for consumption. Run off water from the plant also carries heavy sediments and metals into streams, further downgrading the water quality and enhancing risk of contamination. This adversely affects the health of not just indigenous communities living in close proximity, but also that of the wildlife dependent on these water sources.
It is believed that people in the region suffer from various diseases such as Silicosis, dehydration and gastro-intestinal irritation. Iron ore can interfere with normal body fluid regulation long after a mine has been inoperational.
Deforestation and soil erosion, will in-turn increase sedimentation in rivers, making Gadchiroli even more vulnerable to flooding, thereby damaging crops, homes and infrastructure.
Human-animal conflict
The dense forest in Gadchiroli is an ecosystem that connects Tadoba and Indravati Tiger Reserves – a crucial wildlife corridor for tigers, leopards, and elephants.
Many of the mining projects, such as the recent proposal by Lloyds Metals & Energy, evade clearances from the National Board for Wildlife, despite falling in the purview of the tiger corridor. This kind of encroachment adversely affects the safety of wildlife in the region. When there is threat to wildlife, and their habitat is stolen, they are driven out of their forests and into residential areas, exacerbating the risk of human-animal conflict. In Chandrapur, over 11 people lost their lives to tiger attacks in May 2025, alone!
This occurrence is likely to worsen as humans encroach into habitats of the wild.
What is happening in Gadchiroli is an assault on dignity, democracy and the future of forest based communities. Forests are being cleared, rivers poisoned and sacred lands desecrated – all for profit.
We are demanding an immediate halt to mining in the region. Gadchiroli is bleeding and this invasion must stop.
Sources:
Tiger attacks: 11 killed in May in Maharashtra's Chandrapur
https://thewire.in/rights/independence-mining-gadchiroli-adivasi-protest-maharashtra