Raipur, April 19, 2026: Taking serious cognizance of illegal coal mining in Chhattisgarh’s Korea district, a Central Flying Squad team arriving from Raipur today inspected the Devkhol and Bhalumada areas.
They identified the illegal mining sites and issued directives to permanently seal them off through controlled blasting.
Officials stated that surveillance in these areas would be further intensified through coordination with the Forest and Mineral Departments, as well as South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL).
The administration has clarified that, in order to put a complete stop to illegal coal mining, the identified locations will be sealed off using explosives to ensure that such activities cannot recur in the future.
Furthermore, it was emphasized that continuous surveillance and joint operations would be maintained in the region.
Adopting a strict stance against illegal coal mining in the Korea district, the administration carried out extensive enforcement actions for the second consecutive day. The Central Flying Squad team, having arrived from Raipur, inspected the Devkhol and Bhalumada areas on Sunday; they identified the illegal mining sites and issued instructions to permanently close them down via blasting.
During this operation, a district-level task force—comprising officials from the Mineral, Forest, Revenue, and Police Departments—jointly surveyed the entire region.
The team reported that while no coal or mining materials were found at the site during the inspection, illegal activities had previously been conducted there on a large scale. Prior to this action, the joint team had conducted an intensive operation yesterday in the Devkhol forest, located within the Patna Tehsil. During that operation—marking a major crackdown on illegal mining—over 6 tons of coal were seized. Additionally, several illegal tunnels, which had been utilized for extracting coal for a considerable period, were demolished.
During the operation, the team ventured inside tunnels approximately 150 meters in length; there, they not only recovered coal but also seized mining equipment—such as shovels, pickaxes, electric pumps, suction pipes, and a large quantity of electrical wiring—that was being used for the mining operations.
During the operation conducted on Sunday, officials from the Mining, Forest, and Revenue departments—along with local police personnel—were present, representing the districts of Surajpur, Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, and Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, in addition to Korea, the officials said.
The administration has stated that such operations will be further intensified in the coming days.
