Coal is a scam. We must stop the government from cutting down giant areas of forest in Central India to get the coal that lies beneath.
Here's what's at stake:
- Tigers - 35% of the 1700 tigers left in the wild live in Central India.
- Forest communities - Almost half of the forest dependent communities in the country depend on the forests of Central India for their way of life.
- Environment - Cutting down forests and burning the coal that lies underneath will release large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, perpetuating destructive climate change.
If that isn't enough, a coal scam
larger than the 2G scam is coming to light. A report by the CAG says that the Coal Ministry, then headed by the Prime Minister, allocated coal blocks at a throw-away price
costing taxpayers Rs 1.86 lakh crores (an earlier leak of the report put the figure even higher at Rs. 10.67 lakh crores (212 billion US dollars.))
Ask the PM to stop all new coal allocations and forest clearances until this scam has been investigated and there is a clear demarcation of areas that shouldn't be mined. Mr. Prime Minister,
We must stop the senseless destruction of India's forests.
Please stop allocating new coal blocks and clearing more forests for coal mining until there is a clear demarcation of areas where mining shouldn't be allowed and the loss of 10.67 lakh crores has been investigated.
[Your comments here.]
Do not let more forests, wildlife and the livelihoods of forest communities be destroyed by coal mining.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
