I am a master in India

Chapter 362 Danbad

Bihar is poorer than Ron imagined, and not just because of Yadav's exorbitant demands.

He and Satya also investigated the local economic situation, and the actual data surprised them both.

India has been open for more than six years, but Bihar has not only failed to develop, its economy has been deteriorating.

How did they do that? That was the first thought in Ron's head.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Bihar has no industry.

This state is entirely supported by agriculture, with 90% of the population living in rural areas and an urbanization rate of less than 10%.

Ron had originally thought that if the coal deal fell through, he could simply build a power plant in the capital, Patna, just like in Lucknow.

But looking at this population structure now, he's sure the power plant will end up losing everything.

The city's population doesn't need much electricity; even if it were built, these poor bastards wouldn't have the money to pay their electricity bills.

Nine times out of ten, they're stealing electricity, stealing from Ron's power plant until it goes bankrupt.

Fortunately, Bihal doesn't follow the rules at all, neither for individuals nor for the government.

Yadav was also very "generous," indicating without Ron even having to say anything that he could just pull any coal or anything else.

They only care about short-term gains, paying for each coal delivery, without considering long-term benefits or the development of the region.

They ran for office not to make Bihar better, but purely for the purpose of making money.

With this kind of self-interest-first mentality, it would be a miracle if Bihar could develop.

Look at the state government archives: the vast majority of Bihar people are enjoying an idyllic, pastoral life.

Bah! They can barely afford to eat; you'd be more like living in the primitive society.

Less than one-tenth of Bihar households enjoy the convenience of electricity.

Well, not every household in the city has access to electricity.

Only one in thirty Bihars can afford a bicycle.

How much did this thing cost again? Ron remembered, around a thousand rupees, I think.

Of the nearly 70 million people in Bihar, only about 3 million can afford 1,000 rupees.

Damn it, Ron is paying farmers in Uttar Pradesh the minimum wage that's almost a thousand rupees.

If you put ordinary workers from filthy places, who are seen as country rats by big city dwellers, into Bihar, they would definitely be middle class.

No, 300 million versus 7000 million, that's already the top small group of rich people!

Ron found it absurd; Bihar was even more outrageous than Uttar Pradesh.

Bihar also has the lowest life expectancy in India, with people living an average of 15 years less than in Kerala, where most people have access to healthcare, education, and electricity.

In other words, the average lifespan of Bihar people is only 40 to 50 years old, and this was in the mid-1990s, not the last century.

He couldn't imagine what life was like for the Bihar people, where in many places, men in their forties and fifties were still in their prime.

However, thinking of Dr. Kurma whom he had met a few days ago, he felt relieved.

With the medical council ineffective, what kind of medical resources can you expect in Bihar?

Most people probably just drift along, waiting to die, whether they get sick or not, and whether they survive after getting sick, is entirely up to fate.

There are few job opportunities in Bihar either, and its economy is extremely weak. Although it accounts for 7% of India's total population, its business tax accounts for only 0.7% of the national business tax revenue.

Less than one in fifty people own a television set, and some people have never seen what a television set looks like in their entire lives.

This completely dispelled Ron's idea of ​​expanding Suer Electric's sales channels in Bihar; it was too poor, and there was no point in doing it.

Even if you give these people a TV for free, they still can't watch it because it has no electricity.

Many Bihari rely on Yadav for their entertainment, and his public speeches attract hundreds of people.

Yes, every gathering is treated as entertainment by the Bihars.

With nothing else to do, Yadav was eloquent and his speeches were so funny that everyone took them as jokes.

After going through all these files, Ron could only sigh.

Uttar Pradesh is often described as a land of gods and fertile land, but Bihar is an even bigger deal; the people there seem to live in a different kind of civilized society.

Uttar Pradesh may engage in abstract activities, but its people still live like human beings.

Bihar? It suffocates you, suffocates you with the barriers of civilization.

The people here are completely unaware and take it all for granted because they have never seen the light and cannot imagine what life in a big city is like.

After spending two more days in Batna, Ron and Satya, accompanied by one of Yadav's sons, headed to Danbad.

Calling this an industrial city is a gross exaggeration. It only seems that way because of the presence of several large factories.

Outside the factory, the area remained impoverished, and along the dirt roads, tea shops with a North Indian flair could be seen everywhere.

Inside, the humanoid spiders squatted on the ground, slowly and numbly wiping the floor. They were only in their thirties, but looked to be over fifty.

Ron finally understood why the Bihar people had such short lifespans; they were all drained dry. No flesh and blood remained, only trembling skeletons. Danbad, on the other hand, was quite proper, with tall buildings, glass facades, and streets.

However, like most cities in India, it is noisy, polluted, and crowded, lacking the historical depth, orderly planning, and noble solemnity that a real city should have.

A half-baked city, inhabited by half-baked people.

Most of the wealthy people here are coal mine owners, and they like to wear gold in their mouths.

Whenever it laughs, the gold in its mouth sparkles in the sun, just like the glass outside.

Both the glass and the gold came from coal mines.

Yadav's son said there was a large coal mine on the outskirts of the city, the largest coal mine in the dark lands of India, and even the largest coal mine in the world.

Yes, Danbad also has another name: the Dark Land.

This place is full of dark coalfields. If you kick your foot twice while walking on the road, a large chunk of coal will be broken off.

The coal mine stretches for about 16 kilometers underground, and in some places, underground fires still burn, sending thick smoke into the air. Some of these underground fires have been burning for more than a hundred years!

It can be said that Danbad is a city built on top of a coal mine, where miners are the main occupational force, and most of the rest of the population serve them.

There's nothing much to see in town; it looks like a third-rate county town in Northeast China.

Because coal dust is carried by the wind, the city's buildings are covered with a layer of black ash, making them look hazy and dilapidated.

The sky and ground were both dark gray, and the air was pungent with a suffocating feeling, reminiscent of battlefield smoke, making one want to sneeze.

However, Ron stayed there for two more days, waiting for the exploration team from Uttar Pradesh to arrive.

Although Yadav's son swore that he had all the data on the coalfields, Ron did not trust the Bihar people.

They are too cunning, especially when they swear on their own mothers; you must be extra careful.

There is a Dalit caste in Danbad whose profession is prostitution.

Indeed, the teachings passed down from ancient India regarding this caste system are that women become prostitutes to atone for their sins in this life.

They're full of lies. Do you expect their sons to keep their promises based on their mothers' oaths?

Once the professional team had all arrived, Ron and his group set off for the nearby coalfield.

The first stop was the Jaliyah coalfield, which, according to Yadav's son, is the world's largest coalfield.

This coalfield was discovered by the British and has been mined since the late 19th century.

The area currently discovered covers approximately 450 square kilometers and contains 23 underground mines and 9 open-pit mines. It is India's oldest coal mine and the source of India's highest-grade coking coal, mainly used for steelmaking.

It is said that when it was first discovered, a white, pungent gas suddenly emerged from underground in the central village of Basak.

The next morning, villagers noticed that the white gas was getting thicker and thicker, followed by more and more flames shooting up from the ground.

Two days later, cracks appeared in the villagers' houses and they gradually collapsed, making Basak the first "cursed" village in Jaria.

In the decades that followed, the fire spread with the wind to an area of ​​17 square kilometers, forcing more than 10 people to relocate.

Health expert Li Pude at the time said: "The coalfield fire polluted the air and water of hundreds of square kilometers of land. If you live here for a year, your life expectancy will be reduced by 10 years."

Less than a year after the British withdrawal, the newly formed Danbad municipality hastily announced that "the smoking land will be handed over to the government for management." In the 70s, it designated a "danger zone" and demanded that all villagers evacuate.

On the surface, it seems like a lot of effort is being put into controlling the fire, but in reality, it's about acquiring the land from the villagers free of charge. The so-called "smoking land" and "danger zone" are actually the central area of ​​the coking coal mine, and the reserves have never been disclosed since mining began.

Just look at the vast coalfields covering hundreds of square kilometers today; the reserves are so enormous that the Indian government dares not release specific figures, fearing it will attract the covetous eyes of outsiders.

Without a doubt, this large coalfield can only be left to the government for mining.

Why does Coal India have a continuous supply of high-quality, inexpensive coal? The Jaliyah coalfield plays a crucial role.

However, companies like Tata can also obtain mining rights for certain mines in the Jaliyah coalfield.

Ron's Sull Mining is not qualified yet, so he can only look at the surrounding areas.

Near this large coalfield, there are countless associated coalfields, but none are as exaggerated in scale as the Jaliya coalfield.

According to Yadav's son, there are 112 legal coal mines in Dambad, with an annual coal production of more than 20 million tons.

There are also more than 1000 illegal coal mines, with an annual output of approximately 15 million tons.

It can be said that the more than one million people in Danbad rely on these coal mines for their livelihood; they are the economic lifeline of the area.

The villagers of Danbad who lost their land were reduced to cheap coal workers. They knew that this job was dangerous, but they had no choice but to work it.

After visiting the official coalfield, Ron and his group began heading northwest.

That area is the most densely populated region of private mines in the northwest. On a land area of ​​no more than 5 square kilometers, there are more than 300 coal mines of all sizes.

The vast majority of them are located underground, because the coal on the surface has long been mined out.

However, Yadav is, after all, the chief minister, and he still has some valuable resources at his disposal.

Considering Ron's "foolish and generous" nature, he was prepared to show him something nice.

(End of this chapter)