Chatra Coal Forest Tribal Rights Conflict

Chatra district contains significant coal deposits in its forested areas that have been allocated as captive coal blocks to power companies, creating ongoing conflicts with tribal communities who hold Community Forest Rights over the same land under the Forest Rights Act 2006. Tribal gram sabhas in Chatra have invoked their PESA right to give or withhold consent for industrial projects in scheduled areas, creating legal battles between project developers and village assemblies. The Chatra district's coal-forest conflict is a nationally significant test case for the implementation of PESA and FRA in Jharkhand, and activists from the Jharkhand Jangal Bachao Andolan have documented the ecological and livelihood threats to tribal communities in affected villages.