Mine closure policy and elusive just transition in a central Indian coalfield

• Situates mine closure in land grabbing literature to show political land use choices. • Analyses mine closure policy and planning documents in India. • Investigates actual closure practices in Korba of central India. • Advocates for improved democratic participation in coal mine closure practices. • Provides policy recommendations to improve existing mine closure policy. Land dispossession due to industrial mining has formed an influential part of global land grabbing literature across the Global South. Mine closure, on the other hand, is at present typically left to environmental experts and mining companies in spite of its possibilities to regenerate the land for new environmental and social purposes once a mine inevitably closes. While Indian coal mines are yet to close to contain fossil emissions, some of the first large, open pit mines from the 1990s have closed in recent years for economic reasons. In this article we explore Indian coal mine closure policy and its implementation in the coal town Korba. To do this we draw on national policy, international best practice in mine closure, mine closure planning documents, and ethnographic fieldwork in Korba. Our analysis shows how large funds and significant technical expertise are put to practice governed by voluntary mine closure guidelines. The results of this under-regulated approach are highly mixed with a focus on forest plantations and, in places, aquaculture or tourism parks. Rural, previously mining-dependent communities may receive short-term jobs working on closure activities but are otherwise excluded from closure plans intent on continued privatisation and industrialisation. We conclude with a set of policy recommendations based on the international principles and standards of the Society for Ecological Restoration to firstly make regulations mandatory for all sectors and types of mining, and secondly ensure community participation in the regeneration of mined out landscapes.