NGT Adds Odisha Pollution Board to Mahanadi Coalfield Mine Case

The eastern bench of the National Green Tribunal directed on May 29, 2026 that the Odisha State Pollution Control Board be added as a respondent in a case challenging the environmental clearance granted to Mahanadi Coalfields Limited for the Subhadra Open Cast Mine. The case concerns an environmental clearance issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on March 6, 2024 for a mine with a production capacity of 25 million tonnes per annum.

The NGT's eastern bench heard an appeal seeking to quash the environmental clearance for the Subhadra Open Cast Mine, which was granted to Mahanadi Coalfields Limited for a mine lease area of 111,185 hectares at Gopal Prasad, Kumuda, Nisha and Kanka in Odisha. The tribunal found that the Odisha State Pollution Control Board's inclusion as a respondent was necessary for just and proper adjudication of substantial environmental questions. The SPCB has been directed to file its response.

The case reflects ongoing judicial scrutiny of large coal mine clearances in Odisha, a state with significant coal reserves and also some of India's most ecologically sensitive forests and tribal habitats. Environmental advocates argue that coal mine clearances in this region frequently fail to adequately assess impacts on biodiversity, community water sources and the livelihoods of tribal communities. The addition of the SPCB as a respondent could bring pollution monitoring data and technical expertise into the tribunal's adjudication.

The NGT's intervention in Mahanadi Coalfields cases follows a pattern of judicial oversight of the MoEFCC's environmental clearance process, particularly for large-capacity coal extraction projects. With India balancing energy security requirements against environmental commitments, coal mine clearance litigation is expected to remain active. The tribunal's forthcoming proceedings will set the next hearing date after the SPCB submits its response on the environmental questions raised by the appellant.

Key figure — 25 MTPA production capacity, 111,185-hectare mine lease area