INDIA-ENVIRONMENT: NEW WORLD BANK LOANS MAY DISPLACE THOUSANDS

By Pratap Chatterjee Reprint | | Print |

PRATAP CHATTERJEE

SINGRAULI, INDIA, Feb 3 1995 (IPS) - THE HALF-COMPLETE ROAD LEADING TO THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED VILLAGE OF AMBEDKARNAGAR HAS A ROW OF FIVE CONCRETE PILLARS CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER BY ELECTRIC WIRE, BUT NOT TO ANY POWER SOURCE.

THE ROAD AND THE PILLARS ARE THE ONLY SIGNS OF DEVELOPMENT WORK DONE BY THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED NORTHERN COAL LIMITED (NCL), WHICH BROUGHT THE 300 INHABITANTS OF AMBEDKARNAGAR HERE LAST YEAR. NCL HAS TURNED THEIR FORMER HOMES IN THE NEARBY VILLAGE OF KHADIA-GAON INTO A DUMPYARD FOR A NEIGHBOURING COAL MINE.

THEIR NEW VILLAGE IS JUST A FEW KILOMETRES AWAY FROM THE COAL MINE SITUATED IN A SPRAWLING, SMOKY, INDUSTRIAL REGION THAT BOASTS FIVE HUGE THERMAL POWER PLANTS WHICH DEPEND ON ITS COAL SUPPLIES.

THE REGION, CALLED SINGRAULI, STRADDLES THE BORDERS OF MADHYA PRADESH AND UTTAR PRADESH, THE TWO GIGANTIC CENTRAL INDIAN STATES.

DESPITE THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF THE ENTIRE AREA, THE MINE AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT PROVIDED THE 58 HOUSEHOLDS IN AMBEDKARNAGAR WITH SCHOOLS, POTABLE WATER, ELECTRICITY OR SANITATION FACILITIES.

JAVETRI DEVI, A LOCAL WOMAN, POINTS TO A WELL THAT SHE AND HER FAMILY HAVE DUG FOR THEMSELVES. “WITHOUT THIS WE WOULD HAVE NO WATER,” SHE SAYS.

THE VILLAGERS HAVE ALSO BUILT THEIR OWN HOUSES WITH LOCAL WOOD AND BRICKS BUT TWO HOUSES HAVE ALREADY COLLAPSED. ONLY 20 PEOPLE IN THE SETTLEMENT HAVE BEEN GIVEN JOBS AT THE MINE BUT FOR THE OTHER 280 THERE IS NO WORK AND NO DECENT LAND TO FARM.

THE PLIGHT OF PEOPLE HERE AND ACROSS INDIA, AFFECTED BY SUCH COAL MINES IS LIKELY TO MULTIPLY, SAY ACTIVISTS. A 425 MILLION DOLLAR EXPANSION OF THE COAL MINES IS ON THE CARDS AND WILL BE CONSIDERED BY THE WORLD BANK’S BOARD OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ON MAY 16, ACCORDING TO THE BANK’S LATEST LOAN SUMMARIES.

A TOTAL OF 33 COAL MINES HAVE BEEN EARMARKED FOR EXPANSION BY COAL INDIA, THE GOVERNMENT BODY THAT OWNS NCL. TWENTY OF THESE MINE EXPANSIONS WILL INVOLVE THE RESETTLEMENT OF 18,257 PEOPLE, ACCORDING TO BANK DOCUMENTS. THIS COAL WILL SUPPLY ANOTHER 16,000 MW OF NEW POWER-GENERATING CAPACITY FOR WHICH THE BANK HAS PROMISED ADDITIONAL LOANS.

THESE NEW LOANS WILL FURTHER TRANSFORM THIS REGION THAT UNTIL THIRTY YEARS AGO, WAS A QUIET, DENSE FOREST FULL OF ANIMALS SUCH AS TIGERS AND BEARS.

INITIAL CHANGE CAME IN THE 1960S WHEN THE RIHAND DAM WAS BUILT TO PROVIDE ELECTRICITY. IN 1977, THE WORLD BANK LENT 850 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MAJOR COAL POWER PLANT, AN OPEN-PIT MINE, AND TRANSMISSION LINES.

OFFICIAL FIGURES ESTIMATE THAT OVER 150,000 PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY BEEN UPROOTED AND DISPLACED BY THE DAM, THE POWER PLANTS, THE MINES AND THE ACCOMPANYING FACTORIES IN SINGRAULI. MANY HAVE BEEN MOVED AS MANY AS FIVE TIMES, EACH TIME TO MAKE WAY FOR NEWER PROJECTS, AND MOST HAVE NOT RECEIVED COMPENSATION.

THE LOAN REQUEST STATES THAT COAL INDIA INTENDS TO MAKE THE COAL INDUSTRY COMMERCIALLY VIABLE AND ELIMINATE ITS DEPENDENCE ON THE GOVERNMENT BUDGET.

AT THE SAME TIME IT SAYS, THE LOAN WILL PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO REDUCE THE ADVERSE IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON THE PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT IN MINING AREAS. BUT WHETHER OR NOT THIS MONEY WILL GO TO AMBEDKARNAGAR IS STILL AN UNANSWERED QUESTION.

“WE TOLD THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW AT AMBEDKARNAGAR TO GO TO JAWAHARNAGAR, A DIFFERENT SITE WITH MORE FACILITIES LIKE DRAINS, A DISPENSARY BUT IT WAS FURTHER AWAY, AND THE PEOPLE REFUSED TO GO EVEN AFTER A NUMBER OF DISCUSSIONS, SAYING IT WAS TOO FAR,” SAYS M.R. AGGARWAL, THE PLANNING OFFICER FOR NCL.

AGGARWAL SAYS THAT THERE WAS LITTLE MORE HE COULD DO FOR THEM.

“THE QUESTION OF ELECTRICITY IS NOT OUR PROBLEM, WE HAVE PROVIDED THE POLES, IT IS UP TO THE ELECTRICITY BOARD TO GIVE THEM THE CONNECTIONS. WE WILL PROVIDE JOBS FOR THEM, PROVIDED THERE ARE VACANCIES, BUT RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE NONE,” HE ADDS.

THE FEW THAT DO HAVE JOBS ARE NOT VERY HAPPY. RAMLAL DUBEY, PRESIDENT OF THE MINE UNION, SAYS THAT WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE MINE ARE APPALLING AND A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE KILLED EACH YEAR.

“SOME OF THIS IS BECAUSE OF BAD EQUIPMENT THAT THE MINE BOUGHT FROM THE RUSSIANS BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE MANAGEMENT ORDERS WORKERS TO USE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO USE. LAST YEAR ONE RAM MURAT SINGH WAS KILLED BECAUSE HE WAS USING EQUIPMENT HE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO USE,” SAYS DUBEY.

DUBEY SAYS THE FAMILIES OF EMPLOYEES WHO DIED WERE OFFERED COMPENSATORY EMPLOYMENT, BUT STARTS LAUGHING WHEN THE QUESTION OF LIFE INSURANCE ISS BROUGHT UP. “ARE YOU JOKING, NOBODY HERE IS GIVEN LIFE INSURANCE. PROBABLY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES WON’T EVEN OFFER IT,” HE SAYS.

DUBEY SAYS THE PROBLEMS OF JOBS AND RESETTLEMENT ARE NOT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF MONEY BUT UNCARING AND CORRUPT MANAGEMENT. HE IS SCEPTICAL THAT THE NEW LOANS WILL DO MUCH TO CHANGE MATTERS UNLESS LOCAL PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS ARE INVOLVED IN PLANNING THEIR FUTURE.

EVEN BEFORE THE NEW LOANS ARRIVE, MORE PEOPLE ARE SET TO JOIN THE RANKS OF THE UNEMPLOYED. NEAR THE MINE, KHADIA GAON ITSELF HAS ALMOST VANISHED FROM SIGHT, UNDER A HUNDRED FEET HIGH MOUNTAIN OF COAL AND DEBRIS. A FEW FORLORN HOUSES ARE STILL PERCHED ON HIGHER GROUND THAT HAS YET TO BE USED.

ONE OF THEM BELONGS TO GANESH SAHU, WHO SAYS 16 PEOPLE LIVE IN HIS HOUSE, WHICH IS SITED ON SIX ACRES OF FARMING LAND. “WE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE SOON, I THINK. EVERYDAY SOMEBODY COMES TO THREATEN US. ALREADY THE MINE HAS TAKEN 16 ACRES OF OUR LAND,” HE SAYS.

THE UNKINDEST ELEMENT, ACTIVISTS SAY, IS THAT CHEAPER, LESS DISRUPTIVE AND LESS POLLUTING ALTERNATIVES EXIST TO THE EXPANSION.

ONE STUDY BY THE US AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (US AID), SAYS THAT INDIA HAS THE CAPACITY TO SAVE AS MUCH AS 30 TIMES THE ADDITIONAL ENERGY THROUGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY THAT COULD BE GENERATED BY THE EXPANSION OF SINGRAULI, AT ONE THIRD OF THE COST OF NEW COAL GENERATED POWER.