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Villagers plant industry dream by Vishvendu Jaipuriar
If you can’t beat them, join them.

The fight for land between villagers and industrialists gets a unique twist in coal-rich belts of Karanpura valley — comprising cheek by jowl blocks Barkagaon and Keredari (Hazaribagh) and Tandwa (Chatra) — with residents asking the Centre’s permission to commercially exploit the area’s natural resources instead of allowing investors from outside.

Karanpura is the state’s green bowl for vegetables, but it sits on rich coal reserves. The government has allotted as many as 37 companies — public and private players — licences to set up coal blocks there. Villagers initially put up fierce resistance, forming the 10-member Azaadi Bachao Andolan forum with the demand that the area be declared an agriculture zone.

When that did not meet with success, they went ahead and drew up agreement papers of three companies and wrote to Union ministries of coal and power, respectively, that they be granted exclusive rights to dig up coal and, subsequently, generate power. “The government lacks the right to allot coal blocks to companies,” said Mithilesh Dangi, the forum’s convener. “Villagers are owners of natural resources under fertile lands.”

Dangi, with a doctorate in botany under his belt, added that after several rounds of meetings, they had formed three companies — Chirudih Barwadih Thermal Power Production Company Limited with 15 promoters, and Lakhura Thermal Power Production Company Limited and Kole Thermal Power Production Company Limited, with 17 promoters each.

“We have applied for our own coal blocks in Karanpura. We’ll do everything, from digging to producing power,” said Dangi. On asking if villagers could undertake such big projects, he shot back: “Do the Ambanis make coal or power themselves or engage experts for the job? We will do what they do,” he said, adding the 35-odd coal blocks would affect the area’s ecosystem and claim 90,000 acres across 205 villages, affecting three-lakh-plus people.

Now, major investors such as NTPC have started work on three captive coal mining projects such as Pankri Barwadih (6,735 acres), Chatti Bariyatu (1,590 acres) and Keredari (1,603 acres). ONGC also has a presence. Companies who will start work include Reliance Power, Jindal, Abhijeet Group, Issar Power, Neelanchal, Bajrang Ispat, DVC, Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation, Bhushan Power, Rungta Mines and Adhunik Group. Reliance Power and Abhijeet Group have started surveys.

At the grassroots level, past skirmishes such as beating up of NTPC officials — in which local Congress MLA Yogendra Sao also allegedly had a part — are giving way to organised public hearings. Rural land activist Deepak Das said they had circulated the slogan “jaan denge par jamin nahin” to ask villagers to fall into any “lucrative trap”.

“Our consensus is simple. Keep growing green vegetables, which always earned us money. And if the government has to extract coal, give us the licence papers. We will supply coal and power,” he added.

“Villagers support us and fund us to keep the protest alive,” Dangi added.

But a company official said the protest was nothing but mischief-making on the part of the coal mafia and Maoists. Barkagaon DSP Satyendra Singh said the police had asked investor companies to pool information with them on troublemakers.

Student Suresh Prajapati of Barkagaon Chowk, however, summed up the voice of the hinterland’s GeNext. “We want development and Karanpura is lucky to have coal and methane gas in abundance. We don’t want to take up farming. Who will convince the agitators, who are our elders and relatives, to allow companies to work here?” he said.