Jharia rehab gains momentum - Hyderabad-based company chosen to build 2000 new homes in Belgarhia

The site at Belgarhia where quarters will be constructed for the rehabilitation of underground fire affected families. Picture by Gautam Dey

A Hyderabad-based construction firm has been selected to build 2,000 quarters at Belgarhia for the rehabilitation of underground fire affected families, providing a much-needed impetus to the implementation of the Jharia Master Plan.

After scrutiny of tenders, Jharia Rehabilitation Development Authority has sent a proposal to appoint Indu Projects Ltd to build the quarters at a cost of Rs 63.89 crore to Nitin Madan Kulkarni, who as commissioner of North Chhotanagpur is ex-officio chairman of JRDA.

JRDA superintending engineer Sunil Dalema said certain formalities were yet to be completed before a contract could be awarded, but he conceded that finalising a company for the task was a crucial step forward.

Notably, 2,000 quarters of 25 sq metre each are to be constructed on 45 acre land in Belgarhia. The new quarters, which would have two rooms, would be in addition to the existing 2,352 single-bedroom quarters of 18 sq metre.

Each building would be of four storeys with each floor accommodating four flats. This means that each building block would have 16 flats.

In all, 1,080 families belonging to areas in the Jharia coal field region hit by the underground fire and subsidence have been rehabilitated in the existing 2,352 quarters at Belgarhia. These families, from Bokapahari, Ghanudih, Luj pit, North Tisra and Lodna, have been allotted two quarters, one on Rs 100 per month rent and the other free of charge.

For the construction of the 2,000 new quarters, tenders worth Rs 63.89 crore were floated during the tenure of then former JRDA MD and former Dhanbad deputy commissioner Sunil Kumar Burnwal on December 9 last year.

Five companies, including Bokaro-based Hisdustan Steelworks Construction Ltd (HSCL), Hyderabad-based Ramky Infrastructure Ltd, Indu Projects Ltd and IVRCL Ltd and Kolkata-based KCP Ltd, submitted bids.

A formal contract would be handed over to Indu Projects, the chosen one, after the approval of of the JRDA chairman, followed by budget allocation, signing of latter of intent and submission of an initial security deposit by the company.

Dhanbad deputy commissioner Prashant Kumar, who is now MD of JRDA, said the rehabilitation process would be tackled on a priority basis with timely review of projects. “Weekly meetings of the JRDA will be conducted to speed up the process of rehabilitation,” he said, adding that various pending issues like the status of land provided by BCCL to JRDA in Bhuli and in other areas would also be discussed at a high-powered committee meeting of the coal ministry scheduled in Delhi next month.