Cabinet nod for Jharia coalfields Rehab package still awaited

Kolkata, Sept 23 (UNI) The much-talked about rehabilitation of 80,000 families of coal miners in Jharia could not take off so far primarily because of "lack of political will" even as necessary funds (Rs 7500 crores) for this purpose has been earmarked.

This view was unanimously expressed here today by the heads of all major coal companies, including the Chairpersons of Coal India, BCCL, ECL and the CCL while speaking to newsmen after participating in a day-long workshop on the future strategies of Coal Companies.

The workshop, organised by the Mininig, Geology and the Metallurgical Institute of India, was participated by more than 2,000 delgates from across the country and abroad.

Asked about the future of the proposed Jharia Action Plan, they said though a pilot project was initiated about two years ago to rehabilitate about 900 worst affected families of underground fire in Jharia coal field area in West Bengal and some parts of Jharkhand, the efforts could not be sustained as very few families opted to shift to the new area despite facing immense danger at the present site.

BCCL Chairman P Bhattacherya is the head of the main implementing authority of the Rs 61 crore pilot project.

Moreover, Mr Bhattacherya said since the Union cabinet was yet to give its final nod to the Action Plan, which was to be one of the largest human rehabilitation programmes, the actual work of the Jharia Action Plan was yet to start.

He said, however, the West Bengal government in its efforts to encourage the planned rehabilitation programme had constructed about 600 houses and had even offered more than 750 hectares of land for the same purpose in later stage.

Referring to the allocation of funds to take up the jumbo project, Coal India Chairman Sashi Kumar and his BCCL counterpart Mr Bhattacharya reiterated that since all the coal companies had earmaked enough funds for this purpose, there would be no dearth of funds once the work began. But they regretted at the lack of any further Central initiative for the project apart from giving the necessary nod, which they felt was also not forthcoming soon.

They said though the first committee set up for recommending the Jharia Action Plan had suggested rehabilitation of only about 65,000 families, who were living on the core areas of underground fire but later on another committee set up by the Union government had also included those living on the fringe areas under the new package taking the total numer of families to be shifted to 80,000, thus making it one of the largest rehabiliation of its types in the country so far.

The committees had recommended about 1850 hectares of land for the whole purpose of which the BCCL had already acquired about 750 hectares so far, Mr Bhattacharya said. He also blamed the alleged "lackadaisical" attitude of the government for the "undue delay" in implementing the project which was scheduled to be completed by 2012.

In terms of losses so far because of unabated underground fire in Jharia coal belt, Mr Bhattacherya estimated it was to the tune of 37 million tonnes so far, with nearly 1.5 million to two million tonnes of coal were being burnt out every year causing enormous losses to the national exchequer.

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