Rehabilitation and resettlement, post-mining and underground fires : Jharia coalfield, Dhanbad

Abstract

Jharkhand which means ‘forest tract’ is the ancient name given, is also by far the richest in terms of mineral resources. Dhanbad, also known as the coal capital of India, has a long history of coal mining which started about 200 years ago. Mining and industrialization, the face of ‘growing and developing India’ also has its own demerits. The very nature of mining, which is ecologically unsustainable and socially devastating has not led to the prosperity of the locals but certainly to the mining companies and outsiders showing a different picture of development. One of the issues with this kind of development is the displacement of people due to mining. Also, the coalfield is also affected by underground mine fires. Around 4 lakh people are directly or indirectly affected by mining in the area and need to be relocated. Jharia masterplan 2008 is largest fire-fighting plan in the world and also one of the largest relocation projects. The nature and scale of the project also invite a new challenge, the social acceptance of the houses made for relocating people. Present rehabilitation practice has left the people unsatisfied due to insufficient compensation and uncongenial conditions provided to them to restart their new lives. Also, there are people leaving those houses and going back to the fire-prone areas. This design thesis aims to provide an alternate solution of rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected people within the framework of guidelines provided by the authorities working for the cause. Means to regain livelihood through skill development and community participation are the key areas which are aimed to be facilitated through architecture. Also, prefabrication which was earlier absent in the approach is now being considered by the authorities themselves to counter time and overhead charges is a welcome approach and the design project also aims to incorporate it for better infrastructure and design quality.