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Residents protest at Jharia Vihar Colony on Monday. (Gautam Dey) |
A team from the Centre’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which came calling to Jharia Vihar Colony in Belgarhia on Monday to review the progress of the Rs 7,068-crore Jharia Action Plan, had to return without completing the task because of strong protests by the displaced.
During their 20-minute stay in the colony, all nine members of the team, led by chairman of EAC V.P. Raja, remained confined within the community centre as Belgarhia residents created a furore outside. The visitors — accompanied by a host of BCCL officials — could not even take to the stage to address the gathering and returned after a closed-door meeting with the authorities.
The team, which recommends prior approvals for new projects to the ministry of environment and forest, visited different BCCL collieries like Moonidih, Sijua, Damoda and Shatabdi on Sunday.
Rehabilitation and resettlement in-charge of Jharia Rehabilitation Development Authority (JRDA) Gopal Ji said: “We gave details of the rehabilitation carried so far. Till now, altogether 1,100 families have been shifted from fire and subsidence-affected areas like Bokaphari, Ghanudih, North Tisra, Lodna and LUJ Pit area to 2,352 one-bedroom quarters in Belgharia,” said Gopal Ji.
However, the residents claimed that they were not against the central team. “We didn’t protest against the team. In fact, we wanted to air our grievances in front of them so that our plight came to the notice of the powers-that-be in New Delhi. But BCCL officials and JRDA authorities prevented us from meeting the team,” said Ajay Paswan, a resident of Jharia Vihar.
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