Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Feb 13: The Baghbera Mahanagar Vikas Samiti has intensified its agitation demanding the implementation of the Baghbera Rural Water Supply Scheme and the inclusion of Baghbera in the Municipal Council. In a decisive move, the committee has planned a Rail Roko movement at Tatanagar railway station, with preparations already underway.
A meeting was held at Gandhinagar Shiv Mandir in Baghbera under the leadership of committee president Subodh Jha, where the protest strategies were discussed. Alongside the Rail Roko protest, a padyatra (march) from Jamshedpur to Delhi has been planned to gather at the Lok Sabha and press for their demands. So far, 13 people from various settlements have voluntarily registered for the march, including Subodh Jha, Vinod Ram, Ritu Singh, Pavitra Pandey, Deepak Dangi, Shashi Bhushan Singh and Ankit Kumar.
Local residents, recognizing the economic hardship of daily wage laborers participating in the march, have come forward to financially support their families. The committee unanimously decided to announce the date of the Rail Roko movement soon and warned that if the government does not act, the protest will be further intensified.
Women present at the meeting strongly insisted on Baghbera’s inclusion in the Municipal Council, arguing that it would bring basic civic amenities to the area. They also demanded that the water connections of Tata Steel, Jusco and district administration houses be disconnected first, stating, “If the poor are struggling for every drop of water, why should privileged institutions continue to receive an uninterrupted supply?”
Committee president Subodh Jha alleged massive corruption in the Baghbera Rural Water Supply Scheme and the Baghbera Housing Colony Water Supply Scheme. According to him, Rs 50.58 crore was sanctioned for the rural water supply project, but Preeti Enterprises abandoned the work halfway. Similarly, Basant Singh & Sons received Rs 1.88 crore for the housing colony water scheme, but the project remains incomplete. He further stated that earlier, Rs 237.21 crore was sanctioned, with Rs 4.5 crore collected from the public, yet no substantial work was done.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Jharkhand High Court regarding the issue, but hearings continue to be delayed. Frustrated by inaction, the committee has resolved to escalate the agitation until their demands are met.
Prominent attendees at the meeting included Vinod Ram, Ritu Singh, Pavitra Pandey, Suraj Ojha, Sunil Kumar Singh, Chaturbhuj Singh, Shashi Singh, Meena Devi, Sushila Devi, Sangeeta Sharma, Sarita Sharma and Rita Dangi.
