Former chief minister and Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (JVM) chief Babulal Marandi conducted a more than seven kilometre padyatra (foot march) on Wednesday from Ambedkar Chowk in Bastacola to Indira Chowk in Surratand area of Jharia to protest against the recent escalation of efforts by the state government to shift the residents from the underground fire-affected areas.
The event was held a day before the two-day (July 6-7) visit of chief secretary Rajbala Verma and Union coal secretary Susheel Kumar to review the progress of the implementation of Jharia master plan.
The padyatra kicked off around 2pm, following the garlanding of the statue of B.R. Ambedkar at Bastacola and witnessed the participation of nearly 500 people shouting slogans like " aag ke naam par logon ko hatana bandh karo (stop relocating people on the pretext of fire)".
A host of political personalities, including senior JVM leader and former Tundi MLA Saba Ahmad, JVM district president Gyan Ranjan Sinha, state executive committee member Ramesh Rahi and his Samajwadi Party counterpart Meraj Khan took part in the march.
Other notables who walked the stretch were national general secretary of Central Industrial Trade Union S.K. Bakshi, acting president of Jharia Coalfield Bachao Samiti Ashok Agarwal, former district president of Rashtriya Janata Dal Yogendra Prasad Yadav, president of Jharia Chamber of Commerce Amit Sahu and member of the royal family of erstwhile Jharia estate Madhavi Singh.
The padyatra reached RSP College, Jharia, at 3pm where Marandi paid tribute to erstwhile king of Jharia estate Raja Shiva Prasad Singh before proceeding towards Jharia Main Road where a public meeting was held near Desbandhu Cinema Hall.
Addressing a gathering there, Marandi said, "The state government is trying to displace people from coal-bearing areas with an eye on tapping the vast coal reserves without taking into consideration the livelihood and emotional attachments of thousands of people. Had the government taken sincere steps to douse the fire, such a situation would not have arisen."
Marandi later visited Indira Chowk near Surratand where a father-son duo had slipped to their deaths in a subsidence crater on May 25.
"Had the government been sensitive towards the future of over 6,000 students of RSP College, Jharia, it would have first constructed a building at an alternative site near the college before shifting the college to a hospital building," Marandi said.
He appealed to the Jharia residents to protest against the government decision to shift them to other places without making proper arrangement of rehabilitation.
