Rehabilitation of 50,000 landslide victims in limbo; political pressure surges

A war of words has ensued between the BJP and the TMC over the Rs 2400 crore master plan project for rehabilitation of landslide-hit victims. While BJP alleged that funds were stolen, TMC accused the Centre of not releasing the funds.

Asansol:In the mid-nineties, the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) prepared a Rs 2400 crore master plan for Asansol's landslide-prone areas. But even today 90 percent people have not been rehabilitated resulting the political pressure to mount.

BJP parliamentarian Agnimitra Paul claimed that the Centre provided the money but it was stolen following which, consumers are being denied homes. Refuting this, chairman of Asansol-Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA), the nodal agent of the rehabilitation project, Tapas Banerjee said that instead of Rs 2400 crore, only Rs 620 crore was given by the Centre. Work is progressing as per the receipt of funds.

Amid the tug of war between the Centre and the state, nearly 50,000 people have been left devastated. In June 1997, the Deputy General of Mines Safety said in a circular that 146 mauzas in the Raniganj mine area were vulnerable and dangerous due to coal mining and so residents hailing here have to be rehabilitated. Asansol's then CPM parliamentarian Haradhan Roy claimed that ECL should bear the rehabilitation cost. He also filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court in this connection.

On the apex court's order, ECL prepared a master plan for rehabilitation in 1999. A total of Rs 2400 crore was approved to rehabilitate landslide-hit victims. It was decided that ECL will hand over the money while ADDA would be the nodal agent for the project. The work was supposed to have started when the then MP Bangsa Gopal Chowdhury was ADDA chairman during the Left Front's tenure. However, a lot of time was taken to identify the victims and provide them identity cards.

Meanwhile, there was a change of power in West Bengal and Tapas Banerjee became the chairman of ADDA. But the work did not progress at the speed it was expected to. Even though the work to construct houses in Andal is nearing completion, the company has halted the work in Jamuria. Also, work has got stuck in Salanpur.

BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said, "As money was stolen though ECL gave the funds, houses are not being handed over to the people after the construction. A fresh tender will be issued. There is only theft going on around the project. People are not actually getting anything."

ADDA Chairman Tapas Banerjee said, "She is talking like a half-educated person. In the first phase, Rs 200 crore was disbursed, and later Rs 420 crore. We had to buy a lot of land. The contractor stopped the project in Jamuria and ran away. As a result, the work is not finished yet. Once the work is completed, the houses will be handed over to the victims."