With Gua mines shut, trucks lined up on Badajamda-Gua road, have little to transport. Workers have, therefore, decided to launch an agitation with the help of former chief minister Madhu Koda (top right), who addressed them at the club house on Friday. Pictures by Animesh Sengupta

Gua (West Singhbhum), Sept. 13: This mining town of 10,000 people, 160km from Jamshedpur, has started to feel the pinch. The closure of the lone iron ore mine, one of 12 that was shut down after the Jharkhand government refused to extend its lease citing a Supreme Court order, has robbed it of a sense of industrial stability that West Singhbhum district has long enjoyed.

Hotels are going empty, petrol bunks aren’t as busy as before and the festive season is looking distinctly dull. Amidst the doom and gloom scenario, a political leader is trying his best to resurrect himself from the ignominy of corruption charges by rallying together disgruntled union leaders who have suddenly woken up to the virtues of a united fight for the welfare of labourers.

More than 40,000 people have been hit hard by the closure of the 12 mines in the district. Steel Authority of India is the worst sufferer as the closure of three of its mines, Gua, Kiriburu-Meghataburu and Chiria, has reduced ore supply to its plants, not to talk of the crippling effect it has had on its workforce, mostly local residents directly or independently dependant on mining in the dense forest region of Saranda.

At Gua Club House, adjacent to the main office of SAIL’s raw material unit that oversees the mine operations, over 500 people had gathered yesterday to ponder over their future. After a three-hour-long meeting in the presence of Madhu Koda, a former chief minister facing corruption charges, the workers broadly agreed on a phased agitation.

The leaders of seven unions, asked Koda, whose wife Geeta is the local MLA, to lead them in their fight to have the mines reopened.

Naturally chief minister Hemant Soren was their target.

“Yeh to hamare mukhiya mantri ka murkhta hain jiske chalte yahan ke logon ko bhukmari ka bhay sata rahi hain. Rajya sarkar ke virodh mein hame jahan tak ladhna pade hum ladhenge, aur mines ko khulwakar hi rahenge (It is the sheer stupidity of our chief minister which has led us to the brink of starvation. We will fight against the state government and ensure that the iron ore mines are opened at the earliest),” said Duchha Toppo, general secretary of Gua Mines Workers Union, which was established in 1922, making it one of the oldest outfits of the region.

The Intuc-backed trade union leader cited the example of Odisha to criticise Hemant, saying he lacked the acumen of his counterpart, Naveen Patnaik, who issued “express orders” to restart operations in eight mines of the neighbouring state.

Toppo was speaking about how in June the Odisha government had issued orders for resuming operations at captive mines of Tata Steel and SAIL (along with six others) after approving renewals by a high-level committee.

The captive mines were among 26 that had been closed down in Odisha after a green bench of the Supreme Court, in an interim order on May 16, said that the mines operating on second and subsequent lease renewals should not be allowed to operate until the state government agreed to renew them with express orders under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.

“His claims of running a tribal-friendly government have been shattered as tribals are the worst sufferers of this decision,” Toppo said about Hemant.

A town of typical, one-storied company quarters, Gua’s local economy has stopped churning. “We are losing business with each passing day,” rued Kamal Behra, a hotel owner at Badajamda. “I have asked my staff not to report for work as it will be difficult for me to pay them. We only hope that mining operations resume at the earliest.”

A mining town is known for its trucks. But of late, these have reduced to a trickle. No wonder, petrol pumps are idle most of the time with barely five or six trucks coming to fill their tanks.

“Earlier, we used to sell around 1,700 litre diesel from our outlets a day. Around 150 trucks were serviced daily. Since the last week though, we are refilling only around 50 litre diesel,” said Premchand Sahu, manager of Lilawati Petrol Pump in Noamundi, 27km from Gua.

The seven unions, that had gathered at Gua Club House yesterday, represented 562 SAIL employees, 500 contract workers and 200 daily wagers. These were: Gua Mines Workers Union, Bharat Majdoor Sangh, Saranda Majdoor Sangh, Jharkhand Majdoor Sangarsh Samiti, Supply Majdoor Sangh, Kolhan Majdoor Sangh and Jharkhand Mines Majdoor Union.

“All the labour unions have joined hands and called me to lead the agitation as people are resentful of the government’s decision. We will launch rallies and padyatras, hold meetings and demonstrations at various locations in the township for a week. If the government does not renew the leases, we will go to Ranchi,” said Koda, now out on bail, hoping to cash in on his popularity among the residents of Manoharpur.