The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a revised Rs 5,940.47 crore implementation plan for the Jharia Master Plan in Jharkhand on Wednesday.
This development has rekindled hopes for the announcement of a revised Raniganj Master Plan in West Burdwan district.
In December last year, the district authorities of West Burdwan, along with the nodal agency for implementing the Raniganj Coalfields Rehabilitation and Resettlement Project, submitted a revised proposal for state government approval.
“The Raniganj Master Plan to address subsidence and underground fires was originally prepared in 2009 and now requires updating. A fresh plan has been drawn up and will be sent to the state government and, eventually, to the ministry of coal for final approval,” a senior district official said.
Notably, it was the late Haradhan Roy, former MP from Asansol, who filed a PIL in the Supreme Court following a report by The Statesman in the late 1980s on underground fires and land subsidence in the Raniganj Coalfields. In 2009, the Supreme Court directed the ministry of coal to prepare two separate master plans—one for Jharia and one for Raniganj—marking the largest rehabilitation and resettlement project in post-Independence India.
According to plans drafted by the ministry, a Rs 2,600 crore project for the Raniganj Coalfields Rehabilitation and Resettlement scheme was proposed, which included the construction of 41,000 houses.
Although the initial phases of funding were disbursed and some houses were built by ADDA through the state housing department, challenges such as land acquisition and inadequate funds have hampered progress. Over the years, the number of affected areas and families has continued to rise.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has raised the matter of Raniganj’s rehabilitation several times and instructed the chief secretary to take it up with the coal ministry. However, there has been no significant development so far.
Another key hurdle is the resistance from residents in subsidence-prone areas of Raniganj and Barakar, who have been reluctant to vacate their homes and businesses to relocate to remote townships. The Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) has declared these zones as subsidence-prone.
In July 2019, concerned by the sluggish progress of both the Jharia and Raniganj projects, then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi appointed advocate Gourav Agarwal as amicus curiae to inspect and submit a report with recommendations. Yet, tangible progress has remained slow.
Just last Wednesday, the CCEA formally approved the revised Jharia Master Plan in New Delhi. This plan aims to tackle the pressing issues of land subsidence, fire, and the resettlement of affected families. The Rs 5,940.47 crore outlay will be implemented in a phased manner, prioritising the most vulnerable sites.
The revised plan places strong emphasis on sustainable livelihoods for displaced families. Targeted skill development programmes and income-generation initiatives will be launched to promote economic self-reliance.
A livelihood grant of Ministry Rs 1 lakh and access to institutional credit support of up to Rs 3 lakh will be extended to both legal title holder (LTH) and non-legal title holder (non-LTH) families.
“In addition, comprehensive infrastructure and essential amenities—such as roads, electricity, water supply, sewerage, schools, hospitals, skill development centres, community halls, and other common facilities—are to be developed at the resettlement sites. These provisions will be implemented as per the recommendations of the Committee for Implementation of the Revised Jharia Master Plan, ensuring a holistic and humane rehabilitation approach,” the CCEA stated.