Resident of Charpara Village, Korba District in Chhattisgarh

Dileshwar Patel, resident of Kohadiya village says when he was young there was a forest in this area. He and his friends use to play in the forest; his family members were living with the forest, collecting seasonal fruits and mahuwa but now they are surrounded by TPPs. He and the villagers were living on the other side of the river where they were farmers. Then one day NTPC relocated them from Chaarpara to Kohadiya village which is on the other side of the river. NTPC gave them minimum compensation and promised that one member from every family would receive a job at the TPP but only 10% of the families received jobs.
Villagers lost their farmland and their freedom. Before TPPs destroyed their life, they were cultivating twice a year and that was sufficient for them to live a comfortable life but now they are forced to work as an unskilled daily wage worker without any benefits.
Because of fly ash, villagers are ill and there will be a day when they won’t be able to work or pay for their medical bills.

Charpara village, Korba district, Chhattisgarh, India, 2017.