AS THE Sun rises over Morwa, the narrow lanes echo with familiar sounds of temple bells, the call of vendors, children rushing to school. For decades, these sounds have defined life here. Soon, they may fade into memory. Morwa, a township that has been home to families for two and sometimes three generations,is preparing for one of the largest displacement exercises the region has ever witnessed. The expansion of the Jayant Open Cast Coal Mine of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL),a project critical to India’s energy security, will require nearly the entire settlement to be vacated. For residents, the announcement is not merely about land acquisition or compensation packages.

 

It is about leaving behind homes built brick by brick, neighbourhoods shaped by shared joys and griefs and places of worship that have anchored community life for decades.“My uncle settled here, who was NCL employee, in the year 1983, followed by the shifting of his entire family with grandfather from a village in Sidhi district. This land raised us. Now our 9-member family is being asked to leave it behind,” says Prince Soni who runs a photo studio near the bus stand. Morwa’s story is deeply intertwined with coal. Many residents either work directly with NCL or depend on the mining economy for their livelihood.

 

Ironically, the same industry that sustained the town is now forcing it to move. According to official estimates, around 50,000 people will be displaced to facilitate the extension of the Jayant Open Cast Mine. Nearly 22,000 residential, commercial and religious structures homes, shops, temples, mosques and community spaces, are slated for demolition. Jayant Coal Project is among the most crucial coal-producing units in the country. Its current production of 30 million tonnes is set to rise to 38 million tonnes annually after expansion.

 

The mine alone supplies nearly 32 per cent of coal to NTPC Vindhyachal and 98 per cent of its total output fuels thermal power plants across India. In policy documents, these figures underline national progress and energy stability. On the ground in Morwa, they translate into uncertainty. NCL has already acquired 927 acres of land, including tenancy land, forest land, and government land, for the displacement process. Officials maintain that rehabilitation and resettlement plans are in place. Yet for many residents, the fear goes beyond physical relocation.