IWN Report — Thursday, 21 May 2026
Two separate mining proposals in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra — one for iron ore, one for coal — are moving through India’s wildlife clearance system. Both affect forest land in the Brahmapuri division, a corridor that connects Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve with forests across Gadchiroli, Nawegaon-Nagzira, and Chhattisgarh. Social media discussion of these proposals has been significant in recent weeks. This explainer sets out what is confirmed, what is pending, and what the legal process requires.
Both proposals have received state-level approval. Neither has received central government clearance. No mining has commenced. The final decisions rest with the National Board for Wildlife.
What is Chandrapur’s Brahmapuri division, and why does it matter for tigers?
Chandrapur is a district in the Vidarbha region of eastern Maharashtra. Its forests form the Greater Tadoba Landscape — one of the most ecologically significant tiger habitats in central India. The Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is the core protected area, covering approximately 1,700 sq km. Around it lies a matrix of territorial forests and wildlife sanctuaries, including the Brahmapuri Forest Division and the Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Brahmapuri Forest Division is an unprotected territorial forest spanning approximately 650 villages. It functions as an ecological corridor — a strip of forested land through which tigers and other wildlife disperse between protected areas. According to conservation researchers, the Brahmapuri corridor links TATR to the west with the forests of Gadchiroli district to the east, Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve to the north, and tiger-bearing forests of Chhattisgarh including Indravati Tiger Reserve to the south.
Wildlife Institute of India estimates from 2011 placed between 66 and 74 tigers in the Chandrapur landscape. Ministry sources cited in The Tribune place 25–30 tigers in the proposed mining areas specifically. Activists estimate the district holds approximately 250 tigers in total, though this figure is not from a published government survey.
Chandrapur is also among India’s most intense human-wildlife conflict zones. In 2022–23, 111 people were killed in tiger attacks in the district. In 2023–24, 59 deaths were recorded before the year ended. In 2025, approximately 47 people were killed in the Chandrapur region. In the Brahmapuri division alone, 18 people were killed in tiger-related conflicts last year, resulting in 10 tigers being captured and removed.
What are the two mining proposals?
There are two distinct proposals, involving different minerals, different companies, and different stages in the clearance process.
Proposal 1 — Iron ore: Lohardongari mine (Sunflag Iron and Steel)
This is an open-cast iron ore mining project proposed at Lohardongari village in Brahmapuri taluka, Chandrapur district. The project has been allotted to Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd, a Nagpur-based private steel firm, under the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015. The project requires the diversion of 35.95 hectares of reserved forest land. An expert committee appointed by the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) estimated that 18,024 trees would need to be felled; a 2022 tree enumeration survey of the site confirmed at least 11,773 trees in the project area, and experts note this number has likely grown since. The project is designed for iron ore production of approximately 1,40,598 tonnes per annum. According to the expert committee’s own report, the project would generate employment for 120 people, of which only 32 would be permanent positions.
Proposal 2 — Coal: Western Coalfields Limited (Durgapur and related blocks)
This is a coal mining project in Chandrapur proposed by Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), a public sector undertaking under Coal India. WCL has sought wildlife clearance to utilise 80.77 hectares of forest land to extract 8 metric tonnes of coal. WCL previously extracted 7.20 metric tonnes from the same area between 2005 and 2013. The proposed extraction area falls within a tiger corridor connecting Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Kanhargaon Wildlife Sanctuary, and Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. The Maharashtra government recommended diversion of 80.77 hectares of reserve forest for the mining lease renewal. WCL was directed to allocate Rs 2.91 crore — 2% of the project cost of Rs 845.51 crore — towards wildlife conservation, to be managed by the Tadoba Foundation.
What has been approved, and by whom?
Both proposals have received approval at the state level, but neither has received final clearance from the central government.
Iron ore project: The Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, cleared the proposal on 6 January 2026 — despite the SBWL’s own expert committee having recommended against any mining activity in this corridor, citing irreversible ecological damage. Maharashtra’s Additional Chief Secretary (Forests) Milind Mhaiskar subsequently clarified that the SBWL’s role is recommendatory in nature, and that the final authority to approve or reject the proposal vests solely with the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). The SBWL recommendation has been forwarded to the NBWL. No central approval has been granted.
Coal project: The Maharashtra government approved the proposal in August 2024. However, since the project area falls within a notified tiger corridor, central government clearance is mandatory under the Wildlife Protection Act. The Standing Committee of the NBWL has discussed the matter but as of the most recent available information, no central clearance has been granted. The matter is pending before the NBWL.
What does the law require before mining can begin?
Under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, any project that affects a tiger corridor requires the approval of the National Board for Wildlife. The NBWL is a central government body chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Union Environment Minister as Vice-Chairperson. Its Standing Committee considers and grants or rejects wildlife clearances for projects affecting protected areas and notified corridors.
Under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (now the Van Sanrakshan Evam Janpadha Adhiniyam, 2023), any diversion of forest land for non-forest use requires central government approval. This is a separate clearance from wildlife clearance.
Under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, mining projects above certain thresholds require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and environmental clearance from MoEFCC.
All three clearances — wildlife, forest, and environmental — are required before mining can commence. State-level approvals, including SBWL recommendations, are a step in the process, not the conclusion of it.
What is the current status of the Bombay High Court proceedings?
In February 2026, as protests against the iron ore project grew, the Bombay High Court took suo-motu cognisance of the matter and appointed advocate Gopal Mishra as amicus curiae, directing him to file a petition within two weeks. The court’s intervention means the matter is now subject to judicial oversight in addition to the administrative clearance process before the NBWL. The current status of the court proceedings — whether a petition has been filed and whether any interim orders have been passed — could not be independently confirmed at the time of publication. IWN will update this report as information becomes available.
What has the expert committee said?
For the iron ore project specifically, the three-member expert committee appointed by the SBWL to study the site before the January 2026 clearance was unambiguous in its findings. The committee’s report stated that any mining activity in the corridor would cause irreversible ecological damage. Despite this, the SBWL proceeded with a conditional recommendation to the NBWL. The Corbett Foundation’s Director, Kedar Gore, has stated that the proposed mining site is located on a “highly sensitive wildlife corridor” and that its disruption is likely to affect natural tiger dispersal and movement across the Greater Tadoba landscape.
What has not yet been decided?
As of 21 May 2026, neither mining project has received the central government clearances required to commence operations. The iron ore project is with the NBWL for its decision. The coal project is also pending before the NBWL. The Bombay High Court is exercising oversight over the iron ore project. No date for any of these decisions has been publicly announced. Both projects remain proposals, not approved operations.
IWN will continue to follow this story as the NBWL proceedings and court hearings develop. This report will be updated with any new verified information.
Sources: ThePrint · The Quint · The Tribune · Jungle Tak · Business Standard · Scroll.in / Mongabay-India