Raniganj: The Sinking Heart Of Bengal’s Coal Belt Where Poll Promises ‘Hollow Out’ Like The Earth Below

By Taraknath Chatterjee

Raniganj: Life in the undulating and coal-rich landscape of Raniganj is heavily reliant on the soil, but the soils here also create a great deal of danger for the land. As West Bengal races towards another high-stakes political showdown, the rhetoric of the Master Plan runs so deep that it has become a shocking reality to those living in the hollows.

The rehabilitation of nearly 50,000 people affected by land subsidence has emerged as the key electoral issue this time around. During her election rally in Raniganj recently, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, right at the outset of her speech, showered the subsidence victims with a flurry of promises. The Chief Minister pledged that affected families would be allotted not just one, but two flats each, accompanied by a cash grant of ₹10 lakh. But are these promises truly bringing any relief to the residents of the subsidence-prone areas? ETV Bharat investigated to find out.

Panic grips Harishpur

In the dead of night in July 2020, the residents of Harishpur village in Raniganj were jolted awake by a terrifying roar. They witnessed, in horror, as one brick-and-mortar house after another collapsed and crumbled into rubble.

In the middle of the night, the entire village found itself standing out in the open, beneath the starry sky. Somehow, everyone managed to take shelter at a temple located just outside the village. By then, 10 to 15 brick houses within the village had been reduced to dust.

The village vanished, swallowed up by the earth. Even the local office of the ruling party in the area had been obliterated by the subsidence. The residents demanded rehabilitation. Yet, years have passed, and rehabilitation remains elusive.

Three families were crammed together into a single ECL (Eastern Coalfields Limited) staff quarter—living conditions that were utterly unfit for human habitation. Ultimately, risking their very lives, the residents have returned to their village. They continue to live in those very houses—now riddled with cracks. As night falls, their panic intensifies; who knows when—or what—disaster might strike again? It is impossible to say.

Land Subsidence and Rehabilitation Project

In June 1997, the deputy director general of Mines Safety issued a notification stating that, as a consequence of coal mining operations, 146 mouzas (revenue villages) within the Raniganj coalfield region had become severely prone to land subsidence and were deemed hazardous. Among these, the urgent necessity for the rapid rehabilitation of residents across 139 mouzas (revenue villages) was highlighted.

A damaged building in Raniganj coal belt. (ETV Bharat)

At that time, Haradhan Roy—the then-CPM MP from Asansol—asserted that the entire financial burden of this rehabilitation must be borne by ECL (Eastern Coalfields Limited). In that same year, he filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court.

Subsequently, acting on the Supreme Court's directives, the Ministry of Coal formulated a comprehensive rehabilitation master plan in 1999 and announced an allocation of ₹2,400 crore. According to the plan, ECL was to provide the funding, while the ADDA (Asansol Durgapur Development Authority) was entrusted with the responsibility for its implementation. During the Left Front era—under the leadership of the then-MP Bansagopal Chowdhury—work on this project was scheduled to commence.

However, a significant amount of time was consumed merely in accurately identifying the landslide-affected individuals and issuing them identity cards. In the interim, a political transition took place in the state, yet the project failed to progress at the anticipated pace.

While the housing project in Andal is nearing completion, work in Jamuria has stalled midway, as the contracting agency abandoned the site and withdrew from the project. Similarly, the project in Salanpur remains stalled due to complications regarding land acquisition. All things considered, only one question remains: when will these landslide-affected people finally receive safe rehabilitation? To this day, that answer remains elusive.

Promises and Politics as Prelude To Polls

Since the 1990s, whenever elections approach, the landslide-affected residents are invariably promised that they will receive rehabilitation. However, these residents have grown weary of hearing the same promises time and again.

This year, too—ahead of the Assembly elections—a fresh shower of such promises has begun. Recently, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a public meeting at Khandra in Andal to campaign in support of Kalobaran Mondal, the Trinamool Congress candidate for the Raniganj Assembly constituency.

During that meeting, the Mamata stated, "We have already spent ₹700 crore on the rehabilitation of the landslide-affected people. Flats have already been constructed. We will provide two flats to each resident household, along with a compensation package of ₹10 lakh."

However, despite these assurances from her, the residents of the landslide-affected areas remain unconvinced. Residents of the Harishpur area in Raniganj said they are showered with lip service only when elections are around the corner.

According to locals, these promises were never actually implemented." Sukumar Chowdhury, a resident of the locality, remarked, "We used to live in sturdy, concrete houses—spacious homes. Yet, the flats currently being offered to us have walls that are merely five inches thick. How are we supposed to live in such cramped, dingy flats? They should simply pay us the market value of our original homes and land; we would then build our own houses and live there."

Rahul Rana, another resident of the village, echoed the same. He said, "Talk of rehabilitation is heard only during election season. Once the elections are over, no one remembers us anymore. The very ground we are standing on right now may cave in and swallow us up anytime. There is simply no way to predict or know when a disaster might strike. To the political leaders, our lives hold absolutely no value."

Candidates' Take

When questioned on this matter, Kalobaran Mondal—the Trinamool Congress candidate for Raniganj—responded, "The victims of subsidence will indeed be rehabilitated. That is a fact, and the process is currently underway. However, even if full-scale rehabilitation cannot be provided, the problem of subsidence can be permanently resolved by filling the underground voids with sand. Consequently, the need for physical rehabilitation would no longer arise."

Naran Bauri, the CPI(M) candidate for Raniganj, stated, "We have been fighting and struggling for the rehabilitation of subsidence victims for many years. It was under the leadership of our own leader, Haradhan Roy—through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Supreme Court—that the Ministry of Coal was compelled to announce a rehabilitation scheme for subsidence-affected areas. The scheme was formulated, yet to this day, it remains unimplemented. As a result, we are not backing down from our protest. Our movement for the sake of the subsidence-affected people will continue unabated."

On the other hand, BJP candidate Partha Ghosh stated, "This is an extremely complex issue, and for that very reason, the general public lacks a clear understanding regarding rehabilitation. Being a lawyer and subject matter expert, I have considerable knowledge on the subject. However, the state government needs to exercise greater oversight in this matter. The Centre is sanctioning funds, yet the state has failed to execute the work. If elected to the Legislative Assembly in the future, I will raise my voice regarding this issue."

This is not a recent phenomenon; for many years now, the same set of promises resurfaces every time as elections approach. Yet, in reality, no one knows when—if ever—the landslide rehabilitation project will actually be implemented.