Bellary: China's seemingly insatiable demand for iron ore led to a mining boom in Bellary six years ago. Then the Olympics drew to an end, and so did the economic boom years. Now demand has dried up and an entire workforce that came up around mining is in limbo. DNA visits Bellary to see the effects of this enormous fly-by-night operation.
Conversations in Bellary tend to veer towards mining -- the single activity that made it 'notorious' and wealthy overnight. 'Digging' is a commonly used English word in the villages too. There is always talk of the past, the glory years, of packed restaurants and parking lots, of traffic choking the city, of mine owners' clout in the Vidhana Soudha, of small entrepreneurs, farmers, and landlords raking in the moolah. Around seven years ago, when China began shopping for the ore from the heartlands of Karnataka at exorbitant prices, Bellary fell all over itself to satiate the country's appetite. As the curtains came down on the Olympics in China, Bellary's dream run to quick money also fizzled out, leaving behind a trail of woes. A Lokayukta report last year on 'illegal mining' in the area only expedited the rapidly declining industry's downfall.
The boom, that lasted 6-7 years, coursed through the mineral-rich district like a hurricane, tearing apart farmlands, flattening small entrepreneurs under burdensome loans, and filling the coffers of miners who were already flying high in choppers that their mines paid for. Now, the landscape is a dreary reminder of the 'prosperity' it had once seen. Desolate dhabas, petrol pumps, idling trucks and daily wagers, and loan defaulters speak of the time when fortune smiled on everyone.
"I used to earn Rs500-600 per day. Now, only Rs300," says Abdul Kareem, 42, owner of a tiny shop in Sandur taluk. This father of five is managing to make ends meet just as friend and truck driver B Basha is. The quality of life has dropped, he says, since his incentives were slashed after the prices for iron ore fell in the global market. Prices went up as high as $145 per tonne and dropped to less than $50 per tonne. "Earlier, we bought rice that cost Rs25. Now, we eat rice that costs Rs18. No more weekly non-veg meals," he says. Basha makes Rs5,000 a month now, Rs3,000 less than what he earned ferrying employees of steel plants. That's barely enough to provide for his family of ಇಘ್ತ್
"I used to earn Rs500-600 per day. Now, only Rs300," says Abdul Kareem, 42, owner of a tiny shop in Sandur taluk. This father of five is managing to make ends meet just as friend and truck driver B Basha is. The quality of life has dropped, he says, since his incentives were slashed after the prices for iron ore fell in the global market. Prices went up as high as $145 per tonne and dropped to less than $50 per tonne. "Earlier, we bought rice that cost Rs25. Now, we eat rice that costs Rs18. No more weekly non-veg meals," he says. Basha makes Rs5,000 a month now, Rs3,000 less than what he earned ferrying employees of steel plants. That's barely enough to provide for his family of ಇಘ್ತ್
The boom, that lasted 6-7 years, coursed through the mineral-rich district like a hurricane, tearing apart farmlands, flattening small entrepreneurs under burdensome loans, and filling the coffers of miners who were already flying high in choppers that their mines paid for. Now, the landscape is a dreary reminder of the 'prosperity' it had once seen. Desolate dhabas, petrol pumps, idling trucks and daily wagers, and loan defaulters speak of the time when fortune smiled on everyone.
"I used to earn Rs500-600 per day. Now, only Rs300," says Abdul Kareem, 42, owner of a tiny shop in Sandur taluk. This father of five is managing to make ends meet just as friend and truck driver B Basha is. The quality of life has dropped, he says, since his incentives were slashed after the prices for iron ore fell in the global market. Prices went up as high as $145 per tonne and dropped to less than $50 per tonne. "Earlier, we bought rice that cost Rs25. Now, we eat rice that costs Rs18. No more weekly non-veg meals," he says. Basha makes Rs5,000 a month now, Rs3,000 less than what he earned ferrying employees of steel plants. That's barely enough to provide for his family of eight
"I used to earn Rs500-600 per day. Now, only Rs300," says Abdul Kareem, 42, owner of a tiny shop in Sandur taluk. This father of five is managing to make ends meet just as friend and truck driver B Basha is. The quality of life has dropped, he says, since his incentives were slashed after the prices for iron ore fell in the global market. Prices went up as high as $145 per tonne and dropped to less than $50 per tonne. "Earlier, we bought rice that cost Rs25. Now, we eat rice that costs Rs18. No more weekly non-veg meals," he says. Basha makes Rs5,000 a month now, Rs3,000 less than what he earned ferrying employees of steel plants. That's barely enough to provide for his family of eight
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