" The Forest and Its Links to Women’s Fight for Freedom and Identity in Hasdeo", 29 October 2024

beneath the green canopy still lies an estimated 5.6 billion tonnes of coal – a resource so coveted that, despite protests, coal blocks continue to be auctioned off

...

As of today, one block is actively mined by Adani Enterprises Ltd, and efforts are underway to open two more. The struggle to save the 1,876-square-kilometre Hasdeo region is far from over.

...

Until May 2024, the women from villages like Salhi, Ghatbarra, Hairharpur and Fatehpur, staged a protest for over 800 consecutive days. ...In late August, at 3 am, they were informed that movement leaders had been detained by the police, and tree felling was imminent.

...

Over 100 women from three villages – Salhi, Ghatbarra, and Fatehpur – were preventively detained without a cause mentioned.

...

legislations like the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) of 1996. These laws promise significant protection for forest dwellers... However, the implementation has been flawed, with delays, mass rejections of claims, and ongoing threats of eviction.

...

One of the greatest fears expressed by the women of the Hasdeo region is the loss of their independence, not just over their land but in public life

...

This concern highlights the visible difference between women’s empowerment in the private versus public spheres. With the encroachment on land rights, the fabric of their communal life unravels.