Locals, activists slam revised Jharia plan as 'inadequate'

Local activists and long-time residents have criticised the Union Cabinet's recent approval of the ₹5,940.47 crore for a revised 'Jharia master plan', aimed at addressing underground mine fires and rehabilitating affected families, terming the allocation inadequate and the skill development provisions "superficial".

- Praduman Choubey

DHANBAD:

The revised plan comes more than 15 years after the original Jharia master plan was approved in 2009 with a sanctioned amount of ₹7,028 crore. That plan, which aimed to rehabilitate over 104,000 families living in 595 fire-affected areas, had earmarked ₹4,780 crore for rehabilitation and ₹2,311 crore for fire-fighting operations. However, a decade on, only about 3,000 families have reportedly been shifted to safer zones.

On Thursday, veteran trade unionist and Jharia resident Shivbalak Paswan questioned the rationale behind the revised budget. "When ₹7,028 crore was approved in 2009, why has the amount been cut to ₹5,940 crore now, when most of the rehabilitation work remains pending?" he asked.

Paswan suggested that the fund should have been increased to at least ₹40,000 crore, considering inflation and rising project costs. He also demanded that the rehabilitation of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) employees residing in fire-affected zones be included in the new plan.