Villagers living in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh have written to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) contending that handing over a sizeable section of the forests of Mahan will mean a loss to both the individual and community forest rights.

The letter was written on March 15, 2012, and was submitted to the local divisional forest officer. A decision on the allocation of the Mahan coal block to Mahan Coal Ltd, a joint venture company of Essar and Hindalco power plants, is awaiting a green signal from the environment ministry.