'Cracked Walls, Temp 60°C': 70,000 Living Over Jharia Coal Fire Await Safe Home

Thousands in Jharkhand's Jharia are living dangerously close to coal fires. Why have the authorities not intervened?

In the heart of Jharkhand’s coal belt, a (literal) fire has been burning for 108 years. Jharia, in Dhanbad district, has housed a unique geological phenomenon in its underbelly which makes it both rich and poor at the same time.

(Photo: Pinaki Roy)

In the heart of Jharkhand’s coal belt, a (literal) fire has been burning for 108 years. Jharia, in Dhanbad district, has housed a unique geological phenomenon in its underbelly which makes it both rich and poor at the same time.  

Rich because Jharia’s land is known to have reserves of one of the purest forms of coal – coking coal – which is available very close to the surface. Coking coal is primarily used in making steel, the backbone of many infrastructure projects.  

Poor because a spontaneous fire, caused by temperature and pressure conditions over 100 years ago, is not only burning away precious coal (worth millions of dollars) underground but has also rendered the land extremely unstable and unlivable for its residents.  

“The temperature in my house is 50-60 degrees Celsius throughout the year. There are cracks in the floors and walls, and all of us suffer from breathing issues because of the coal dust and toxic gases that emanate from the open-cast mines,” said Jeevan Raut, a resident of Jharia.

(Photo: Pinaki Roy)

A Master Plan, to rehabilitate Jharia’s nearly one lakh residents, was first commissioned in 1996. 28 years later, it's far from completion.  

“The state government can’t promise anything because it is Coal India Ltd (CIL) which is displacing the people,” said Purnima Singh, sitting Congress MLA from Jharia.  

Purnima is contesting against her sister-in-law Ragini Singh from the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand. Ragini is married to former MLA Sanjeev Singh, son of coal mafia don Suryadeo Singh, from whose life the film Gangs of Wasseypur was inspired. 

So, what makes Jharia an interesting constituency? 

'Houses Cave In, Exposure to Gases, Coal Dust Making People Sick'

The fire underneath Jharia’s surface has caused many incidents of the land subsidence. 

“Poore ke poore ghar dhas gaye (entire houses caved in),” Sanjay Kumar Prajapati, a resident of Jharia told The Quint.  

Land subsidence in Jharia

(Photo: Pinaki Roy)

Prajapati lives with his wife and two children in a house which is dangerously close to the coal fires—nearly 15 metres away, he claims.

"Almost everyone in the neighbourhood is sick, many suffer from tuberculosis; some even suffer from dwarfism due to prolonged exposure to gases,” he added. 

But Prajapati and his family are still awaiting rehabilitation. And they are not alone.  

Nearly one lakh families in Jharia have been identified for rehabilitation. These include those who own land (Legal Title Holders in official language); those who moved to Jharkhand from other states and don’t own land here (Non-Legal Title Holders or Encroachers) as well as employees of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL). 

(Screenshot: Jharia Master Plan, 2008)

BCCL, a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL) which comes under the Union Ministry of Coal, has the leasehold of mining areas in Jharia.  

Why Has It Taken So Long To Rehabilitate Jharia Residents?

Jharia is home to one of the oldest coal mines in India. In fact, the first incident of fire in Jharia’s coal fields was reported in the pre-Independence era, in 1916.  

Yet, it was only 80 years later—post nationalisation of mines in 1972—that a High-Level Committee was formed by the coal ministry in 1996 to review issues related to underground fire and land subsidence.  

A Master Plan to control the fire and evacuate the residents of Jharia was prepared by BCCL in 1999 and sent for approval to CIL. It underwent many revisions, including in cost, before it was sent to the coal ministry for approval in 2004.  

Next year, the Master Plan received ‘in-principal’ approval from the Planning Commission. But the body pointed out that the affected people living in endangered areas should be shifted to townships through reputed builders, where they can be provided with necessary civic amenities such as schools, banks and hospitals.

Rehabilitation township in Belgaria

(Photo: Twitter/@CoalMinistry)

In 2008, the Master Plan was revised again, and it was decided that BCCL will take responsibility of controlling the underground fire and rehabilitation of its employees whereas the resettlement of locals will be the duty of the Jharkhand government. By then, a nodal agency, called Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority (JRDA), comprising district and state administration officials had been formed for this purpose.   

Finally in 2009, the Central government passed the Jharia Master Plan (JMP) with a total cost of Rs 7,112 crore to be implemented in the next ten years (including a pre-implementation period of two years). Of this, Rs 4,780.60 crore was set aside for rehabilitation alone.  

“The state government is only officiating; execution power lies with BCCL, and in turn, with the Central government. The Master Plan expired in 2021, and the revised plan is now awaiting Cabinet approval. I have held several meetings with secretaries and even met Union Minister Pralhad Joshi (formerly held Coal and Mines portfolio), who assured me it's in final stages,” Purnima told The Quint.

'Cut Off Year Halting Rehabilitation, New Site in Belgaria Has No Jobs'

The floor in Prajapati’s house has developed cracks. The walls are no better, yet he is awaiting rehabilitation.  

“I don’t have a voter ID card registered before 2004, which was decided as the cut-off year for residents to be eligible for rehabilitation. I have no option but to wait for the rule to change,” Prajapati lamented.

(Photo: Pinaki Roy)

To this, Punrima said that she has recommended that the cut-off year be increased to 2018, so that more people can be rehabilitated. But the plan is pending approval. 

Another impediment to the rehabilitation plan is the residents’ disapproval of the alternative provided to them in a township in Belgaria, about 10 kilometres from Jharia.

“There is nothing for us in Belgaria—no work, no connectivity. The quarters given to us have two rooms of 8X10 feet. How will I fit my family here?” asked Raut, who lives with his wife, four children and parents.  He works as a ‘dump man’, picking up overburden from dug up mines in Jharia for eight hours daily, and earns Rs 266 per day.  

Raut does not own land in Jharia and was promised a one-time settlement of Rs 1.5 lakh, minimum wages for 500 days, and transportation cost of Rs 10,000.  

“But we have not received any money till now. Steam keeps billowing from cracks in the ground and the water is always piping hot. Rehna dushwar ho gaya hai...” he said. 

'No Schools, Hospitals in Belgaria, Rehabilitation Not Viable'

Shravan Kumar Sharma, who owns a salon in Jharia and has been living here with his family for over 30 years, told The Quint that he has, in fact, received the keys to the quarters in Belgaria. But he is not keen on moving. 

“The house is in a jungle. There is no school or hospital nearby. There is no provision of electricity or water. When I went there to see the place, many houses had no doors or windows,” Sharma complained.  

Purnima Singh acknowledged the issue and said that she has recommended a “4Cs formula” to resolve it.  

“The first C stands for Cluster, where the residents should be moved together and not separated from their families. The second C stands for Cut Off, which should be moved to 2018 to absorb more people. The third C stands for Compensation, which should be given there and then. And the fourth C stands for Convenience or amenities such as hospitals, banks, police stations to be set up in Belgaria,” she explained.  

Purnima added that the one-time settlement for Non-Legal Title Holders should be increased to Rs 5-6 lakh so that they can start with small businesses. 

The process becomes more complicated with Legal Title Holders or landowners in Jharia.  

“For them, the question is of a dignified life. Why should they leave their lands for a place where there is no guarantee of a livelihood? Besides, the compensation they get depends on their ability to negotiate with BCCL,” explained Ramesh Sharma, an activist with Ekta Parishad, an organisation working for land rights. He added that Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) should be set up to upskill people and for a just transition.

Will This Be An Election Issue?

Jharkhand’s 81-member state Assembly is scheduled to go to polls in two phases — on 13 and 20 November. Jharia will witness Vidhan Sabha elections in the second phase.  

This time too, Jharia will see a fierce competition between Congress’ Purnima Singh and BJP’s Ragini Singh. Last time, Purnima had wrested the seat from Ragini’s husband Sanjeev Singh and defeated Ragini by a margin of over 12,000 votes.  

Former Jharia MLA Sanjeev Singh was accused of killing his cousin and Congress leader Neeraj Singh in 2017, when he was the deputy mayor of Jharia. Neeraj was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants, who reportedly fired 67 bullets at his SUV to kill him.  

Purnima, who was married to late Neeraj Singh, said her husband had done “good work” for workers, which made him popular in Jharia. She asserted that rehabilitation must take place keeping in mind the interest of people, and not private players. 

“Ash falls from the sky like snow and the ground beneath us is red hot due to the fire. The few plants in the area are black with soot. But BCCL is prioritising rehabilitation of those areas where they wish to mine in future. They ignore areas where they don’t see profit,” alleged Dr Manoj Singh, an environmentalist based out of Jharia.

The Quint has reached out to relevant authorities at BCCL and JRDA with a set of questions and will update the story once they respond. The Quint also reached out to Ragini Singh, but she was not available for comment.