Bhopal Metro, an election issue, but not the construction dust

In the Habibganj area of Bhopal, Ashok Singh Rajput operates a modest tea stall, or gumthi, located conveniently in front of the Rani Kamlapati railway station. The upcoming Bhopal Metro line’s path will be directly in front of his small shop, a development currently under construction. As we asked him about prospective advantages of this new transit mode, he responded...

“Where did we benefit? When our shop went away, we opened this small kiosk but customers do not come here either, and there is dust all around us."

There are several small shops situated along this road in front of the station. Here, the passengers often stopped for tea and breakfast. However, many shopkeepers like Ashok say that “now the business is down to only 25 per cent.”

Who will eat food tainted with dust?

The bustling route extending from MP Nagar to Rani Kamlapati in Bhopal is considerably congested. The continuous flurry of traffic stirs up dust. The dust then impacts the livelihood and well-being of the local vendors. Among them is Kusum Bai, together with her husband Girdhari, who has managed a thriving tea and snack stall since 2001. Unfortunately, her escalating health problems, particularly a persistent cold and cough, have prevented her from operating the stall for the past six months. “The cough was so bad for 6 days that I did not have the courage to get up. We opened the shop today but there was a loss for 6 days.”

She further mentions the impact of dust on the customer base,

“Earlier passengers used to come and sit and eat food. But ever since this work has started no one comes here...you tell me, who will eat food tainted with dust?”

"Previously, sold 2 kg of Poha in 1 hour, now it doesn't sell all day."

Kusum's husband, Girdhari, states that their primary business was selling traditional morning breakfast, specifically Poha-Jalebi. However, due to the dust-related issues in Bhopal, his business has been significantly disrupted. “Earlier, 2 kilos of poha would come out in an hour, now it is not coming out in a day.” Showing the remaining jalebi, he says, “Earlier I used to sell 2-3 kg of jalebi, now if half a kg is sold then it is a big deal.”

He says that earlier he used to earn Rs 3000 just from breakfast. But, now he is able to earn only Rs 2000 in the whole day.

“I will lose my job because of Metro”

Ganesh Kumar Yadav, an employee at a neighboring restaurant, is currently on leave. We queried him about any potential benefits he may reap from the upcoming Metro. In response, he uttered, “The Metro will eventually cost me my job.” Upon further inquiry, he elaborated that he had been forced to take leave twice in the past week due to a lingering cough and breathlessness, which he attributed to the dust caused by the Metro construction. He posed a thought-provoking question, stating, “As a minor employee, if I continue taking leave, wouldn't it simply result in my boss dismissing me?”

“Metro is an election issue but not dust”

The Bhopal Metro trial was embarked by Shivraj Singh Chouhan on October 3, just prior to the enforcement of the Code of Conduct in the state. In his remarks at the event, the Chief Minister stated,

“A transformational phase of transportation has begun in Bhopal. We have fulfilled our promise and now Bhopal Metro is ready for trial.”

The inauguration event, occurring prior to the election announcement, was perceived as a political manoeuvre. In this context, the upcoming elections in Metro Bhopal are prominent, yet the airborne dust caused by its construction remains unresolved. Commenting on this matter, Kusum states,

“They would talk about it when the leaders' houses were covered with dust or when their work was disrupted because of it.”

Are NGT guidelines being violated?

Upon arriving at the construction site for the Bhopal Metro, we noticed a few onsite workers. Unfortunately, none of these workers were wearing masks. In accordance with the guidelines from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), providing masks and other safety equipment is obligatory for employees engaged in construction work that creates dust. Nonetheless, a labourer disclosed that he had never received a mask.

“We put the cloth on our mouth ourselves but we did not get anything from them.”

In addition to this, the guidelines necessitate the covering of the workplace with curtains to mitigate the impact of dust on the environment. However, these curtains are only discernible in a few areas of this site. We questioned the onsite individuals about any previous instances of curtain installation. Responding to this, Goonj, who works in a local showroom, says, "Apart from these few curtains, I have never seen anything else.”

“Sprinkles water once in 10 days”

The requirement to control airborne dust from the road due to construction work necessitates regular water sprinkling. The locals stated that initially, water was sprayed daily, but currently, it is only sprinkled every ten days. Upon our arrival, we noticed that a section of the road was wet, while another was dry. Near MP Nagar, in front of Mahadev Nagar, under the direction of Leela Bai, we observed an individual manually spraying water on the road. Leela Bai says, “it is hot in the afternoon, so more water is wasted.”

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