Jharia looks to pray

The proposed site of the temple at Jharia Vihar Colony in Belgarhia. Picture by Gautam Dey

Over the last two years, more than a thousand families, all victims of an underground fire raging for decades, have shifted to their new homes at Jharia Vihar Colony and now Jharia Rehabilitation Development Authority (JRDA) is sparing no effort to speed up work on building a temple and a mosque as per the master plan.

Technical bids for the construction of the temple on 23 decimal land at a cost of Rs 30 lakh have been opened, while a revised estimate for the mosque on 9 decimal land is also being prepared.

This apart, land has also been identified for a crematorium and a cemetery.

More than two years have passed since work to set up the Jharia Vihar Colony of Belgarhia was started in May 2010.

JRDA superintending engineer Sunil Dalela said the temple, which would come up near the north eastern side of the colony, would be ready within a year of awarding the contract for construction.

“A report on the basis of the evaluation of the technical bids would be prepared after which other formalities for opening price bids would the completed,” he explained.

The mosque, he added, would come up near Sector I of the colony with 2,352 quarters. “Our earlier estimate is being revised as per the advice of Muslim priests who suggested changes in the direction of the mosque. The revised estimate will be prepared within a fortnight after which construction tenders will be issued,” Dalela said.

JRDA resettlement and rehabilitation in charge Gopal Ji said although land for both the temple and mosque had been identified more than a year ago and people of both communities had started offering prayers at the sites, the tender for construction of the temple was issued on April 7 with April 27 as the last date for submission.

“The process of identification of land and preparing estimates were all done with the express consent of the community,” he said, adding that the Jharia master plan provided for construction of religious places in consultation with residents.

So far, 1,123 families have shifted from underground fire affected areas of Bokapahari, North Tisra, Ghanudih, Luj Pita, Modivita and Lodna to Belgarhia. Each family has been allotted two quarters each of 18sq metre, one free and the other on rent of Rs 100.

Gopal Ji said 1.5 acre land had been identified for the crematorium on the outskirts of the colony, while 0.95 acre had been identified for the cemetery. “We have to deposit Rs 21.9 lakh for land for the crematorium to the office of the Baliapur circle officer as it belongs to Gairabad khata and Rs 13.89 lakh for the cemetery land,” he said.

The circle officer, he added, had also issued an NoC.