Another win for Adani’s Parsa East Kente Basan mine

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Editor's note: There’s a coal mine in central India that is perhaps the most storied and controversial of India’s mines. It helped launch the Adani group’s coal operations when it was still a commodities and ports company and Gautam Adani wasn’t yet Asia’s richest person. And, over the years, it has has gone through every imaginable controversy—from the coal scam to questions of forest conservation and rights of the local tribespeople. Yet, from being nearly shut down twice for violating mining and environmental laws, the Parsa East Kente Basan (PEKB) coal mine in northern Chhattisgarh has come a long way. It is currently the largest operational mine in the Adani group, which runs it as a contractor for a Rajasthan government utility. Earlier this week, I noticed there was a new development, not yet reported in the press. An expert panel in the environment ministry had recommended a 20% expansion of the mine. If that gets the final approval of the ministry (such recommendations almost always do), the PEKB mine would have nearly doubled in capacity since it began operations in 2013.  …