Sutana (Panipat), January 15
Sonu of Panipat’s Sutana village is in his late twenties, but can’t find a wife. The reasons are purely economic. His family owns 15 acres of land, but it has gradually turned infertile following continuous seepage of effluents from the bottom ash disposal pond of the Panipat Thermal Power Station.

Sonu’s is not an isolated case. There are a number of young boys who are being forced to remain single due to thermal ash in Sutana village. Nearly 350 acres of fertile land belonging to around 100 farmers of Sutana village has gradually turned barren since 2005 when the bottom ash disposal pond was built adjacent to their fields after commissioning of the 1,360 MW thermal plant’s eighth unit in January 2005. “What do I say about marrying our children… it has even become very difficult to make both ends meet as we cannot sow crops in our fields due to toxic waterlogging,” said the elderly Nakli Ram, whose seven acres have become barren.

Several small peasants whose lands became barren were left with no option but to work as labourers to earn a livelihood. Says Karambir, whose three acres were affected, “My wife and one of my three sons are handicapped. It is impossible for me to get them treated and I am struggling to arrange food for them after my land become infertile.”

Farmer-turned-labourer Suresh, while looking at his barren fields, remembers the good old days. “We used to get good produce of wheat and paddy from our fields, but our life has become miserable due to thermal ash.”

The affected farmers have been running from pillar to post to seek a resolution to their problem. Says Raj Singh Sutana, “We have met Power Minister Capt Ajay Singh, area MLA Krishan

Panwar, DC Sameer Pal Srow and CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s son and MP Deepender for a permanent solution to our problem several times, but to no avail.”

“The government must either stop seepage of toxic water to our fields without further delay or it should acquire our land at market rates so that we can buy land and get on with our lives,” Sutana added.

Krishan Panwar, Israna INLD MLA, says he raised the issue of Sutana land turning barren due to thermal ash several times in the Assembly, but the Hooda government paid no attention. “Apart from the 350 acres that have turned barren, around 55 acres near the Panipat Thermal Power Station switch yard have turned into a wasteland since 1979. The government must acquire the land after compensating the farmers.”