Media reports indicate that several of the 17 coal blocks, that the centre intends to allocate to state-run companies, are located in some of the dense forests in the country.

According to a report by the NGO Greenpeace, these 17 blocks fall in 5,200 hectare of forests with more than half being high or moderately dense forests.

The earlier no-go policy of the central government barred miners from entering into the high or moderately dense forests. In its assessment, 11 of the coal blocks could lead to substantial damage to forests and biodiversity.

The report was prepared by Bangalore-based research institution ATREE at the behest of Greenpeace. ATREE mapped the coal blocks based on data from the government-run Wildlife Institute of India.

The analysis concluded that while some of these blocks were situated close enough to existing national parks and sanctuaries to require clearance from the National Board of Wildlife, some others impinged upon recorded elephant migratory routes and yet others were known to be biodiverse zones though wildlife records did not exist in detail.

The 17 blocks includes one - Kente Extension -- in the rich forests of Hasdeo Arand in Chhattisgarh which the environment ministry had specifically put off the mining map, noting that the biodiversity and forest loss would be immense. It had done so as a condition to permit mining on the fringes of the green patch.