For them who know McCluskiegunj as an attractive holiday resort, there’s bad news. The old railway station that is now clean and standing amidst the greenery of this magnificent little town is soon going to remain as is, in memories alone.
The platforms will soon be covered with black powder that will soon spread from the railway station to almost the entire little town. All the houses will soon look of one colour, and so will the green leaves of trees in its beautiful jungles be.
Coal is already being transported by trucks from nearby mines. By the time this is being prepared for upload, a hundred or more trucks have already done their job of stacking coal beside the railway station’s platform no. 3. The coal will eventually be loaded into railway wagons. The process of unloading coal from hundreds of trucks and then loading of as far as 192 wagons daily, will paint McCluskiegunj black and give it a new look. A look that is undesirable and unbelievably scary in imagination.
There is also talk of a new road being built to transport the said coal, which is supposedly to be built beside the railway tracks.
There have been protests against the Coal Siding by hundreds of residents. The residents of McCluskiegunj are endangered by this sort of development. Now since the work has just begun, local manpower is being hired. The idea is to get support from the labour class. Soon when things are going on smoothly, the manpower will be replaced by machines. That is of course a task, to explain to them who are being baited.
People have protested against trucks plying through their villages. Hence the talk of the new road arose.
Regarding the place being ruined, there doesn’t seem anybody who is really concerned. I mean the powerful people. Since McCluskiegunj was declared a tourist centre, surveys had been made to start work to make the place more attractive. A park and a watch tower were to be built shortly.
The idea of this article is not to project an individual who doesn’t wish growth of McCluskiegunj. It’s about letting people know the value of the place. A place that has seen what is now history and its importance is the remains/ruins of the British rule. It has been known as mini London because it was born before Indian independence and it was a township that had around four hundred and fifty families.
The kind of development that will damage the environment, climate, beauty, attraction and historical value should not be considered as development.
It is being said around town, that stopped work was resumed on a phone call to the railway authorities here, from Mamta Banargee, Railway minister.
I suggest that the State Government should take necessary action to stop such work that will smudge the picture of a beautiful and extraordinary place from not only the map of the country but also the globe.
Somebody must come forward to prevent this deliberate destruction to natural beauty, environment and to historical evidence.
McCluskiegunj, now on verge of being wiped out, is an ideal place for boarding schools because of its healthy climate and natural surroundings.
There are now two schools that attract hundreds of outside students. Once the place becomes a coal mine like place, the hostels catering for over 700 outside students will close down and this will economically damage the residents who thrive on the hostel business.
The Jharkhand government should be shaken out of bed… the question is who will volunteer?
People such a Rtd. Gen. Mayadas PVSM, could stop the destruction of McCluskiegunj, but it is very unfortunate that he has now sold his property and has left McCluskiegunj to face its fate.
