The long-delayed 2009 Jharia Master Plan to evacuate lakhs of residents from underground-fire-hit areas to safer ones, is likely to suffer another setback with the Centre’s decision to allow private firms to enter the coal sector.

Residents and former bureaucrats fear the new order will delay the Rs 10,000-crore master plan that has only seen tardy progress since inception. Under it, 1.04 lakh families of 595 underground-fire-affected areas in Jharia and Raniganj (in Bengal) are to be rehabilitated to safer places along with fire-fighting in places with scope of fire containment. But in 10 years, only 4,000 out of the 1.04 lakh families have been shifted from the 595 zones to safer places.

The first batch of 2,352 people were shifted from Bokapahari area in Jharia to Belgharia in Baliapur block on March 25, 2010.

Amid this snail’s-pace rehabilitation process comes the privatisation order on Saturday. Many believe this is the last nail on the coffin.

A former welfare inspector of BCCL, Rajendra Paswan, who is also a resident of underground-fire-hit Katras Mor area in Jharia, said: “Ever since the sector was nationalised in the early 1970s, Coal India worked with a welfare motive and not only for profit. But with the re-entry of private firms, the old days of reckless mining and displacement because of the consequent increase in subsidence zones will return.”

He added: “During the pre-nationalisation era the underground fire problem was there in the Dhanbad mines because unscientific processes were used by private coal companies to make quick money. These would come back once again.”

Bramhdev Prasad, a resident of underground-fire-affected Parsatand in Jharia, said: “The Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority two years back issued us identity cards but till date couldn’t shift us to a safer place. Now with the government opening the gates to private players, the problem will aggravate as displacements will only pile up. In a bid to complete the target of excavating the mines faster, the companies will carry out mining without bothering about the mining areas and people living near them.”

The secretary of Citu, S.K. Gupta, said: “We won’t accept everything that’s thrust on us. We will protest in all collieries on May 22 under four banners while observing the rules of social distancing.”

Kumar Bandhu Kachhap, the in-charge of the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority, however promised to resume rehabilitation to safer sites after lockdown.