Nitin Madan Kulkarni (second from left) chairs the JRDA board meeting in Dhanbad on Wednesday. (Pankaj Singh)

A fund of Rs 160 crore has been approved for the creation of infrastructure needed to complete the process of rehabilitation of those affected by the underground fire in Jharia.

A board meeting of Jharia Rehabilitation Development Authority (JRDA) chaired by North Chotanagpur commissioner Nitin Madan Kulkarni took place in Dhanbad on Wednesday. The fund was approved for different pending works including construction of more residential quarters.

At the meeting, which was attended by Dhanbad deputy commissioner Sunil Kumar Burnwal, who is also managing director of JRDA, and resettlement and rehabilitation in-charge of JRDA Gopalji, it was decided that a tender for the construction of a high school in Belgarhia at a cost of Rs 2 crore would be reissued.

Later, speaking to newspersons, Kulkarni said the tender process would be repeated as no one had bid for the first e-tender issued on March 5 on the website www.jharkhandtender.com. The last date for online submission was April 4. Notably, this was the second time that an e-tender was issued by JRDA since its inception.

On December 9 last year, an e-tender was issued for the construction of 2,000 additional residential quarters at the same colony at a cost of Rs 63.8 crore.

Regarding the construction of additional quarters in Belgarhia, Kulkarni said the tender had been finalised and construction of new flats on ground-plus-two model would begin soon.

The new flats would be in addition to the existing 2,352 single bedroom quarters where more than 1,100 families from fire affected areas of Jharia coalfield region like Bokapahari, Ghanudih, Modivita, Lug Pit and North Tisra have been rehabilitated since April 2010.

Kulkarni added that all basic facilities and civic amenities would be provided to residents of Belgarhia and for the sanitation and cleanliness work, self-help groups would be constituted. “Drinking water facilities have been provided to more than 90 per cent of the existing quarters,” Kulkarni said.

He added BCCL had been asked to step up its corporate social responsibility activities in the new colony and the coal major would be asked to engage reputed NGOs to help.

“We have planned a training programme for unemployed youth of Belgarhia in job oriented skills with the help of Industrial Training Institute-Dhanbad, which has been provided Rs 2.5 lakh for the purpose,” said Kulkarni.

Regarding the ongoing socio-economic survey in underground fire affected areas of Jharia, Kulkarni said the survey, which is aimed at finding the exact number of number of people to be rehabilited and their socio-economic status, has gained momentum and would be completed by the end of July.