A Greenpeace activist has  launched a novel protest against coal mining at the expense of forests by climbing a tree where he plans to stay for a month at Chandrapur Maharashtra.
Brikesh Singh, the activist of the international NGO, would live in a tree-house, specially put together for this purpose. The tree is located on the fringes of buffer zone of Tadoba–Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), on the outskirts of the city.
Brikesh said he was trying to draw the attention of over 120 delegates who would be attending the forthcoming `UN Convention on Biological Diversity’ at Hyderabad. “We need forests rather than coal,” he said.
“My mission is to mobilise people of the area against destruction of forests for coal mining and also to oppose the government that has least priority for protection of forests and wildlife.”
The tree-house has solar-powered gadgets, and Brikesh plans to be in touch with the outside world through a laptop. The area where the tree stands has a coal mine on one side. Local NGOs have extended support to the protest