Final number of inviolate coal blocks down from 206 to less than 35

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Govt concludes it has no mapped information on perennial rivers, dams & irrigation projects which would be impacted by coal miningTo be finalised soon by the government, the number of inviolate coal blocks where mining will be banned is likely to be reduced from the originally identified 206 to less than 35. The environment ministry has decided to again dilute the parameters for identifying which of India's 793 blocks are located under healthy and important forest patches, not to be chopped down.Beside other parameters, the ministry was to map which forests are important as catchments for perennial rivers and water bodies, irrigation and hydroelectric projects. Mining of coal in these forests was also to be restricted under the inviolate forest policy.But documents reviewed by Business Standard show the coal ministry repeatedly warned this would severely impact many blocks.Documents also show that after more than a year of deliberations between different agencies, the environmen