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Karanpura Coalfield: An Overview

The Karanpura Valley is an environmentally crucial ecosystem surrounded by protected areas like Palamau Tiger Reserve, Betla National Park, Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary, Lawalong Wildlife Sanctuary, and Rautpara and Jorakath Reserve Forest. It serves as a habitat for important flora and fauna, and as a tiger and elephant corridor. However, abundant presence of essential natural resource coal in Karanpura has led to continuous mining in the region. Currently there are 31 mines in Karanpura within 69 existing coal blocks. Being an important forest and wildlife area, several conditions are laid out for mining projects while granting their environmental clearance (EC), to ensure preservation and restoration of the ecosystem. However, analysis of the status of compliance to these conditions found most projects lacking. Blatant ignorance of environmental safeguards has not only violated the terms of the ECs, it has degraded Karanpura irreparably.