Cabinet clears Rs 5,940 crore Jharia Master Plan: Why the revised project to douse a 100-year fire in Jharkhand matters

Time of India

5 hours ago

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 5,940.47 crore revised
Jharia Master Plan
(JMP), aimed at tackling hazardous surface fires.
Announcing the decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government will adopt a phased approach to prioritise firefighting,
land subsidence management
, and the
rehabilitation of families
affected in the
Jharia coalfields
in
Jharkhand
's Dhanbad district.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the plan that will extend financial and infrastructural support to legal and non-legal title holders.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
After Losing Weight Kevin James Looks Like A Model
33 Bridges
Undo
Each family will receive a Rs 1 lakh livelihood grant and access to institutional credit of up to Rs 3 lakh, according to the revised Cabinet resolution. Resettlement colonies will be developed with essential amenities such as schools, hospitals, skill development centres, roads, water supply, and electricity.
Agencies
Live Events
A dedicated Jharia Alternative Livelihoods Rehabilitation Fund will be set up to ensure long-term economic sustainability for relocated families.
The Jharia Master Plan was initially approved by the Centre in August 2009. It was designed with a two-year pre-implementation phase followed by a ten-year execution period, with an estimated outlay of ₹7,112.11 crore. But it expired in 2021.
Jharia fires: Raging for 100 years
Located in the mineral-rich Damodar Valley, Jharia is home to one of India's most prized coal deposits — a high-grade coking coal critical to steelmaking.
But since 1916, this economic boon has come with a deadly cost. More than 70 underground and surface fires have been burning continuously for over a century across over 100 square miles, according to a CNBC report.
Glenn Stracher, a leading expert on coal fires, told CNBC in 2015 that flames have been recorded leaping as high as 60 feet, with temperatures so intense they've caused sinkholes to swallow people and roads. "Just imagine the emissions that are being produced by these fires," Stracher said. 'There are usually 40 to 50 hydrocarbon compounds, and many of them are toxic or carcinogenic. So this stuff is bad, really bad.'
Despite efforts fires have intensified, blocking access to an estimated 2 billion metric tonnes of coal — losses worth over $220 billion, according to the CNBC report.