Over the past decades the presence of open cast coalmines has completely ravaged Ghatotand village in Ramgarh District, Jharkhand. It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to get access to the jungle and the river—two important sources of their livelihoods. The debris of the mining is dumped on the road that villagers once used to walk the eight long kilometres to get to water and forest resources. For this community, like many others in the Ramgarh area, the problem is compounded by the fact that the well in the village has been running dry for sometime now. The river is the primary source for water for bathing and cooking. The hand pump that was given to the village by Tata has long stopped working. Once in a while, the powers that be decide to send in tankers to the village. These are too few and too infrequent. Our correspondent Mohan Kumar Bhuiyan has made many videos to highlight the effects of the presence of the mines in his area. He says that the villagers have already requested the officials at Tata to clear out the massive piles of rock that block the road. When that didn’t work they tried to blockade the mine. The officials respond by saying that they will clean up the road when they get the machinery. “The mine is a kilometre away from my house. I can see that they have many bulldozers and I can’t understand why they just wont do it” Call to Action: Mohan requests you to call the Director of the West Bokaro Coal Mine, Mr Rajoria on  06545262486 and demand that: “The road is cleared and repaired so that people of Ghatotand can access the forest and rover once again.” Related links: Coal mining destroying the health of people in Jharkhand state of India International Land Coalition  Rich Lands, Poor People   Article by- Kayonaaz Kalyanwala