Public Health Engineering (PHE) Minister and Singrauli in-charge Sampatiya Uike on Tuesday rejected allegations that six lakh trees have already been felled in the area. Speaking to reporters, she said that while permission exists for the felling of around six lakh trees as part of the coal block development, only about 33,000 trees have been cut so far, and that too strictly in accordance with legal provisions.
“The claim that six lakh trees have already been cut is misleading. Felling will be carried out gradually and only as required for development works,” Uike said, adding that all environmental norms were being followed.
However, the Congress disputed the government’s figures. Dr. Vikrant Bhuria, national president of the Adivasi Congress and a sitting MLA, alleged that more than three lakh trees have already been felled, far exceeding the official count. Addressing protests in Singrauli, Bhuria accused the government of underreporting the damage and warned that tribal livelihoods were at stake.
“Water, forests and land are the foundation of Adivasi survival. Destroying them in the name of development is unacceptable,” Bhuria said, urging the minister to stand with local communities even if it meant opposing her own party.
Singrauli, already listed among the country’s most polluted cities due to intensive mining and thermal power activity, has witnessed sustained protests over the past weeks. Environmental groups argue that large-scale deforestation will worsen air quality, disrupt water sources and displace forest-dependent communities.
Meanwhile, Minister Uike was in Bhopal to outline the state government’s achievements in the water sector over the past two years. She highlighted progress under the Jal Jeevan Mission, stating that over 72 per cent of rural households now receive tap water, with Burhanpur becoming India’s first certified ‘Har Ghar Jal’ district.
As legal scrutiny intensifies, the Singrauli tree felling dispute is expected to remain a flashpoint, testing the balance between industrial development and environmental protection in Madhya Pradesh.
