Jharkhand Elections: Jharia fire, illegal mining not on poll agenda in Dhanbad

SUBHASH MISHRA

Dhanbad, May 13: While only 12 days are left in voting for the Dhanbad Lok Sabha seat (May 25) burning issues like the 108-year-old Jharia mines fire, illegal mining, and coal thefts are missing from the poll agenda of candidates.

25 candidates in fray

Altogether 25 contestants of national, and regional parties, and independents, including the first transgender candidate are in the fray and they have underlined their poll issues to seek a mandate from the people.

But coal theft and rehabilitation of 1.04 lakh families living in fire-prone areas are considered the main problems of Dhanbad as hardly any day passes without a report of casualty in illegal mining and subsidence incidents.

These issues are old, says Dr Pramod Pathak

According to Dr Pramod Pathak, a poll analyst and a retired professor of IIT ISM Dhanbad, since these issues are old and candidates believe these matters do not impact voters. “That is why these issues are not on their agenda. Moreover, the government is also trying to solve but nothing happened,” said Dr Pathak.

As per official survey reports, there are 1.04 lakh families (including 72,882 encroachers and 32,046 Legal Land Title Holders) living in fire and subsidence-prone areas and they have to be rehabilitated in a safe place.

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Members of 1.04 lakh families are bonafide voters and have been exercising their franchisee in assembly and parliamentary polls.

Dr Mantosh Pandey, HoD, English, PK Roy Memorial College said rehabilitation of Jharia fire-affected residents, illegal mining and coal thefts are of course major issues. Since candidates lack a vision of an eco-friendly Dhanbad, they have not put up an agenda, he added.

“Coal is a big asset of Dhanbad but unfortunately rather than helping common people it is beneficial to industrialists, political parties and others,” said Dr Pandey Dr Pandey also blamed all stakeholders, including the media for overlooking the issues.

Whereas candidates are concerned BJP nominee Dhulu Mahto has raised only their voice against the evacuation of Jharia township and the closure of 34 km long Dhanbad- Chandrapura rail line while Cong candidate Anupama Singh and Marxist Co-ordination Committee (MCC) Jagdish Mahto have raised issues of extortion and coal thefts but all of them have not made it their poll plank.

‘Unauthorized occupants are vote bank’

A political observer of Coalfield said that these unauthorized occupants of the fire zone are vote banks. They do not want to vacate their house. “ So, no candidate wants to lose their vote by making Jharia fire his poll plank”, said a political observer.