Harishpur: Bengal’s Joshimath

As you walk down this particular wide but cracked road, it will be evident that something catastrophic has happened in this village. There are crumbling houses all around.  But one house, in particular, will catch your eye. It is the house of Tapan Pal, a two-story building that fell one night in July 2020. Its bricks are scattered around like someone dropped an open matchbox. Walking further, you will see that there is something amiss about all the houses. Tiled roofs, cracked walls, broken windows, and, most importantly, most of them abandoned. After all, who would want to stay inside these ticking time bombs? This is Harishpur in the Andal block of Paschim Burdwan district, West Bengal. In July 2020, Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) allegedly conducted two illegal open-cast mining operations in Harishpur. The first was on 14th July 2020, and the second was on 20th July 2020. Eastern Coalfields Limited is a subsidiary of the centrally-owned Coal India Limited. The locals allege that ECL did not have the required permissions or environmental clearances to conduct mining operations in such proximity to a residential area. Asked about this, Sanjay Kumar Dubey, the Chief of Public Relations at the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI), is yet to respond to queries submitted in this regard, while other ECL officials have refused to comment. The queries submitted to Dubey pertained to the status of the rehabilitation measures for those affected by land subsidence in Harishpur. Dubey was also questioned about whether the CMPDI issued environmental clearance for the mining operations conducted by ECL in July 2020. According to the locals, ECL’s illegal mining led to numerous incidents of land subsidence and underground fires. The collapse of Tapan Pal’s home is a testimony to the land subsidence incidents that followed post-mining. More than 25 houses tumbled due to the subsidence, and over 1,000 families vacated and fled from Harishpur in July 2020. Harishpur is categorised as a census town. According to the 2011 Census, Harishpur had a total population of 8,980. But the regular land subsidence incidents and collapsing of homes have forced the residents to abandon their houses and migrate. “When the road sank almost 5ft, we knew that a disaster was approaching us, and we started to prepare for evacuation,” says Arijit Ghosh (37). At present, the village has a population of around 500 left. It has been three years since houses tumbled, leaving hundreds without homes. Despite the passage of time, there has still been no sight or sound from authorities regarding rehabilitation for those affected. The only thing that has changed over these past few years is how difficult it is to pick up the pieces and start again when you do not even have a stable roof over your head. “We have come back and are staying here because of the water in the mined patch. Water penetrated the entire patch during the 2021 floods. It is comparatively safer. If the water dries up, there will be fire again,” says Dipak Aturia (35), a resident of Harishpur. The locals further explain how 80 per cent of the population has migrated due to fear. No Jobs, No Water, No Basic Amenities  The Raniganj coalfield (RCF), the birthplace of coal mining in India, encompasses the entire Asansol-Durgapur region. RCF is India’s second-largest coal field, containing 49.17 billion tonnes of coal reserves. No wonder coal mining is a significant developmental activity in this industrial corridor and has served as a crucial pull factor for migrant workers. However, coal mining development has resulted in issues such as land acquisition and displacement, occupational illnesses, a lack of a safe work environment, housing and resettlement. Moreover, land subsidence incidents, especially in the case of illegal mining, pose higher risks of hazards, such as the one in July 2020 in Harishpur. The incident has left behind extreme environmental damage and rehabilitation challenges. Dipak explains how the July 2020 accidents have resulted in unemployment in the area. Dayamoy Choudhury’s (45) teashop on the main road shut as the shack suffered critical damages and could collapse anytime. Other men who were the primary earners of their families also faced the loss of jobs. Diwakar Gop (42) has been unemployed since his garage roof fell. Several vans from his garage were damaged. “A four-wheeler and a well both submerged into the ground after the mining incident. We covered it with sand,” says Dipak. He further asserts that all the small businesses in the village, like grocery stores, a flour mill, tailor shops etc., have been shut since 2020, destroying the livelihood of the locals. The subsidence also destroyed the small party office of the Trinamool Congress. Residents of Harishpur also complained about water scarcity as two wells subsumed deep into the ground after July 2020. Pipelines broke down, leading to extreme difficulties in the supply of potable water. “We manage through borewells, but the groundwater has shifted. Very few borewells work, so we use them commonly. We have taps but no water.” says Anju Choudhury (probably in her late fifties) in Bangla, while Dipak translates her in Hindi, “Nal hai magar paani nahi hai.” An Idle Masterplan, Petty Politics and Improbable Rehabilitation  The Government of India authorised a master plan in 2009 to rehabilitate more than 180,000 persons in the RCF region, with a budget of Rs 2,661.73 crore. As per the master plan, ECL is responsible for identifying “subsidence-prone” and “vulnerable” regions. The coal producer is also tasked with executing rehabilitation works in areas that fall under its purview as well as the Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL). Meanwhile, the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) is entrusted with rehabilitating those in the non-ECL/BCCL areas. Yet 14 years later, the grievances of those residing in Bengal’s Joshimath remain the same. The residents of Harishpur were long awaiting rehabilitation and resettlement but were caught in the two back-to-back tragedies in July and the subsequent political blame game. “There has been no solution to our woes, despite several meetings. The state government says that they have not received money from the central government, and the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority says they have not received any funds from the state,” says Dipak. Aturia and Ghosh further recall that the ADDA authorities asked them to live in tents for six months, saying they would rehabilitate them afterwards. But nothing happened. They were promised plots and houses but were offered abandoned ECL quarters instead. Lalu Gop (36) remarks that those quarters are not livable. “It is only a 10x10ft room,” says Gop. ECL workers apparently used the abandoned quarters as “restrooms.” Dipak points towards a house and mentions how it was the first to be affected after the July 2020 incident. The house belongs to Utpal Choudhury, who now lives in the ECL quarters. “ECL only offered us the quarters to save its honour,” says Dipak. He adds that they went on a hunger strike for 45 days, but even that did not move the authorities. “ECL did not even come to ask us for a glass of water and ask about our living conditions,” says Aturia. After receiving no assurances on rehabilitation from ECL or ADDA, the residents of Harishpur formed a committee and knocked on the doors of the block development officer to the district magistrate (DM), the governor of West Bengal, and the office of the state chief minister. However, political parties simply used their plight for gains during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. Harishpur boycotted the elections altogether, and no single vote was cast from the census town. As per reports, ECL finally agreed to rehabilitate the people of Harishpur in April 2022. The general manager of the ECL-Kajora area reportedly told a digital news platform that the rehabilitation project for Harishpur was underway. They will not only be compensated with lands and houses but also one member from each family will be provided a government job. We are now in July 2023, exactly three years after the tragedies of July 2020 in Harishpur. The promises made last year have yet to see the light of the day. The people of Harishpur remain in the same hopeless situation. “It has been three years now. Does my life have no value?” questions Anju as she describes her difficult daily life without water and the constant threat looming over her head that her house will crumble someday like a piece of paper. Geetika Mishra is a journalist with Earshot. (This report is supported by a grant from Earth Journalism Network’s Pathways to Net Zero project.)