Rainy season not a respite in some Jharia pockets

Dhanbad: With the onset of monsoon, people living in the areas of Jharia affected by underground fire that has been burning for over 100 years, fear loss of life and property due to land subsidence. During the rainy season, water seeps in through the cracks in the open cast and other mines and loosen the ground below leading it to cave in.
Around 1 lakh families live in the 595 affected areas of Jharia coalfields region and only 4,000 have been relocated to safer places since March 25, 2010 when the Jharia Master Plan, a rehabilitation project, began.
The tardy implementation of the plan could be attributed to various reasons such as lack of coordination between the state and central governments, paucity space to carry out such a massive rehabilitation project, lack of clarity over the eligibility of beneficiaries and frequent changes in the plan.
Dhanbad sub-divisional officer Raj Maheshwaram said, “The process of shifting of people to safer places through Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority for those living in dangerous areas will be initiated soon as monsoon has begun. Priority will be given to those who have already been allotted quarters at safer places.”
“At the same time, we will write to the general mangers of different areas of BCCL to rehabilitate people by issuing orders under Section 133 of CrPC for conditional removal of nuisance from public place, river, channel etc,” added Maheshwaram.
However, residents of the affected areas can barely hold on to their patience as promises of a better life have fallen flat several times in the past. Expressing disgust, retired employee of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) R C Paswan (65) and a resident of Katras locality of Jharia, said, “We are compelled to live in inhuman conditions amidst fire and noxious gases. Above all, the constant fear of land subsidence and the increase of the chances during monsoon is unbearable at this age.”
Paswan added, “The land subsided near our house at Rajapur on May 10 leading to the development of cracks in over half a dozen houses. A similar incident too place in Ghanudih area.”
President of Federation of Jharia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Amit Sahu said, “Some hope of the rehabilitation project speeding up came in during the second week of February after the Supreme Court took cognizance of the delay and instructed amicus curie Gaurav Agarwal to hold meetings with all stakeholders. However, things stopped after the outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown.”
Sahu said that they have been demanding for a proper compensation package for the relocation of residents which the government is yet to decide upon.