Coal Cycle Wallahs
Wobbling and pushing their bikes laden high with stolen coal, the Coal Cycle Wallahs slowly make their way through rural Jharkhand’s steep and
twisting forest roads.
Home to the largest coal belt in Asia, Jharkhand is one of India’s poorest states, and has been plagued by poverty, lawlessness, bad governance and corruption for over half a century. It is also, however, home to the vast majority of the county’s rich mineral deposits.
India’s Government owns everything underground and all coal mines are State controlled. The Coal Cycle Wallahs are unlikely to ever benefit from India’s economic growth. They scrape by a living, collecting this ‘black gold’ under the ever watchful eyes of east India’s Coal Mafia whilst corrupt
officials pocket the rewards.
As India’s economy grows and it plays host to the the 2010 Commonwealth Games, all eyes will be on Delhi. Many green pledges have been made regarding air quality and green energy. Yet as India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world within the next 25 years, its continued reliance on coal as a cheap, readily available and yet highly polluting fossil fuel is fast increasing. Coal is the dirtiest fuel on the planet and India is estimated to become the world’s third highest CO2 producer by 2030.
The Coal Cycle Wallahs and the work they do are a stark illustration of poverty in the midst of rich fossil fuel resource abundance.