Vinod Chauhan puts his saucepan on an earthen wood-burning stove, and mutes the dubbed version of the 1990-Telugu hit Prema Yuddham playing on his cathode-ray tube TV set. For Chauhan and the residents of this Madhya Pradesh town — known for the first major mining disaster of Independent India — life has barely moved since the eponymous colliery shut here in 1994.
A microcosm of the country thanks to the migrants who worked here, Newton Chikhli in Chhindwara has fallen off the maps of the mining industry and politicians. Pollution from the sealed coal mines continues to affect the dwindling population.
The place gets its name from the surveyor who established the eponymous mine, and the village of Chikhli which the town grew out of.
The elevator shaft of the Newton Chikli Colliery. Pheroze L. Vincent
Restaurateur Chauhan’s father and grandfather worked in the mine — which, he says, started in 1916. His grandfather was one of the survivors of the 1954 mine flooding that killed 63 miners.
“We had a good hospital here. Everyone aspired for a job in Western Coalfields Limited. We were proud of being from Newton,” he tells The Telegraph. “Today, you have shops here but no customers. Most people you see have grey hair. I barely make a 5 per cent profit. We survive on government schemes like ration, and the allowance for women which my wife gets.”
Chauhan’s elder son studies in neighbouring Parasia. His younger son is in Class XII.
“They know there is no work here. Former chief minister Kamal Nath (a nine-time MP from Chhindwara) brought some development to the district. His son (MP Nakul Nath) isn’t bothered.”
Advocate Jitendra Kanojiya (sitting) and other youths collect fresh water from a hill stream. Pheroze L. Vincent
The Congress, which has held Chhindwara almost uninterrupted since Independence, rules the local municipal body and though the town is cleaner than most other settlements in these parts, the water from taps has a yellow tint and a mineral taste. “Politicians and officials tell us it’s safe to drink but see how this water stains the grass,” says former miner M. Yusuf, pointing to a drain outside his house.
The youngsters collect water from a hill stream — unpolluted by the mine — just south of town. Advocate Jitendra Kanojiya is one of them. “This is our daily routine as politicians won’t fix the water supply. There are no jobs here but the whole world is a fan of Modiji and it is good to go with the flow. I can’t understand what Nakul Nath is doing.”
Chhindwara votes today
