<p>Kolar Gold Fields was once a town with a seemingly eternal golden aura. An idyllic ‘Little England’. But, inevitably, the gold ran out and eight years ago the 120-year-old mines were officially closed. Life came to a stand still. The beautiful bungalows began to crumble. And everything seemed to be returning to dust.<br /><br />But on a visit to KGF last month, I found that through the rubble a new mutant township had emerged. Today KGF may not be the sparkling Little England of yore, but neither is it an abandoned town.<br /><br />The contradictions of KGF today became apparent the moment I entered the mining area. I drove past bungalows in various stages of disrepair only to chance upon a beautifully maintained church or a house all done up in garish new colours. Landmark buildings like the famous Skating rink and Oorgaum Hall had either crumbled to dust or rusted into oblivion. But educational institutions like the St. Jospeh’s Convent and the First Grade College were bustling with activity.<br /><br />The landmark lamp post known as Five Lights looked unnaturally splendid, surrounded by flowing lawns and a water feature. But the once-famous KGF Boys School just down the road had gaping holes in the walls. The Nundidroog Mine nearby, which once provided a living for thousands of miners, lay silent and swallowed by shrubs. <br /><br />A shadow of its former self?<br />Inside the once exclusive and elegant KGF Club which was built in 1897, the wooden ballroom floor which used to shine like a mirror in its polished hey day lay scratched, neglected and piled with plastic chairs. A bit of torn plastic covered the collapsed baby grand dumped in a corner.<br /><br />But the Club still had members...local businessmen, retired officers, BEML employees and anyone else willing to pay the rather hefty membership fees. The garden once resplendent with colourful flowers and most of the beautifully maintained tennis courts had all been taken over by shrubs. The famous Club bar still existed, but as a shadow of its former self. Like the Club, the adjacent golf course famous for its scraggy rather rough terrain was also still in use. <br /><br />So what makes KGF still tick? Obviously not the mines. “As many as 15,000 people commute to Bangalore every day,” said Kotnis, the treasurer of the KGF Club. Kotnis who had once worked for the mines was now attached to the Institute of Rock Mechanics situated where the rather cute KGF Dairy once stood. <br /><br />“Three train loads of people travel up and down every single day. KGF is still a good place to live in. Education is no problem and the township still has a good infrastructure. Schools, colleges, shops, hospitals clubs, theatres...we have everything here. People prefer to live in KGF and work in Bangalore.”<br /><br />The majestic bungalows are all occupied. They are ill-maintained, the gardens gone, the trees chopped off and the fencing broken, but still there are people living in them. These are the last occupants to whom the bungalows were leased as part of the compensation packet when the mines were closed. More than 3,000 houses have been allotted. The occupants have rights only over the buildings and not the surrounding lands.<br />That partly accounted for the wild patches which had taken over the once beautiful gardens. But, there was also no water in KGF so how could there be gardens?<br /><br />Flooded mines, waterless town<br />Once upon a time the beautiful little Bethemangalam reservoir close to the mining township had provided all the water it needed. It had a smart little pump house with a water purification plant imported from England and even a sailing club. But all that was in the long gone past. The sailing club was closed in the 1960s. After BEML came up on the outskirts of the mining township, the reservoir became inadequate. Today residents get tankers of water. Ironically, the mines themselves are flooded because when they were on the point of closure, the ancient English pumps broke down and could not be replaced.<br /><br />At the turn of the last century, KGF was a modern and exciting town to live in. The very first electricity transmitted from Sivanasamudram was supplied to KGF to run the mines. By the turn of the next century, the same old aging machinery was on its last gasp. Not many even knew how to maintain it. Today the machinery and the heritage power house lie disused. “In any other country the government would have made an attempt to preserve and showcase these heritage structures,” said a disgusted old-timer. He had worked in South Africa and he spoke about the disused mines there which had been converted into tourist attractions. But bureaucratic lethargy had prevented this from happening in KGF.<br /><br />The Mines had been dying for quite a while and over the years various explorations were made in and around KGF in the hope of reviving its fortunes. Many of the pits had proved to be unviable. But many experts feel that even today, the open cast mine at Malappakonda on the Andhra border and two more mines in Bisanatham on the outskirts of KGF show promise. They also say that the entire Kolar area is still rich with gold. <br /><br />Will the mines be revived?<br />I spoke to Nick Spencer, Managing Director of Kolar Gold, an Australia-based mining consortium which was formed with the intent of reviving mining in the Kolar area. According to him, a sizeable quantity of untapped gold was still lying inside the old mines and could be extracted using modern machinery. <br />The water flooding the mines could be pumped out with new powerful pumps and the gold which lay close to the surface on the sides of the old shafts could be located and mined with state-of-the-art tools. The mine tailings which still contained gold could be re-processed and the residual toxic waste compressed and disposed off. This would also clear the township of the huge cyanide dumps which have always been a major health hazard.<br /><br />Nick Spencer painted a beautiful picture. I could almost imagine the old bungalows coming to life again under the expert hands of specialist architects. The beautiful old hospital re-equipped. The clubs revived... dances, Christmas parties, cycling, picnics. Could KGF really re-emerge as the idyllic place it once was?<br />But, though Spencer has made countless visits over the last 10 years, not much has moved. In 2006, the Cabinet had approved of the sale of Bharat Gold Mines through a global tender. <br /><br />The employees were given first right of refusal but to avail of this, they had to form a society. The Australian consortium was willing to collaborate with them and provide funds as well as equipment and technical know how. But four years down the line, nothing has happened. Court cases and internal bickering amongst the various unions have vitiated all the negotiations. The workers remain splintered.<br /><br />Dust thou art...<br />Meanwhile, much of the valuable heritage equipment including the antique furniture and other material belonging to the Mines has disappeared over the years. The 100-year-old fire engine was disposed off for a pittance. The old tram tracks were looted and sold for scrap. Even the official Ambassador cars disappeared. No one even seems to know where the gold nuggets which were kept in safe keeping have gone.<br />And so, KGF is in a kind of limbo. While the hope of revival shimmers in the air like a mirage, on the ground desperate jobless people loot whatever they can lay their hands on. <br />But change is inevitable. After all, like the Phoenix, this gold-rich area has risen from the ashes many times before. And it will again. But when... and in what avatar... remains to be seen.</p>
<p>Kolar Gold Fields was once a town with a seemingly eternal golden aura. An idyllic ‘Little England’. But, inevitably, the gold ran out and eight years ago the 120-year-old mines were officially closed. Life came to a stand still. The beautiful bungalows began to crumble. And everything seemed to be returning to dust.<br /><br />But on a visit to KGF last month, I found that through the rubble a new mutant township had emerged. Today KGF may not be the sparkling Little England of yore, but neither is it an abandoned town.<br /><br />The contradictions of KGF today became apparent the moment I entered the mining area. I drove past bungalows in various stages of disrepair only to chance upon a beautifully maintained church or a house all done up in garish new colours. Landmark buildings like the famous Skating rink and Oorgaum Hall had either crumbled to dust or rusted into oblivion. But educational institutions like the St. Jospeh’s Convent and the First Grade College were bustling with activity.<br /><br />The landmark lamp post known as Five Lights looked unnaturally splendid, surrounded by flowing lawns and a water feature. But the once-famous KGF Boys School just down the road had gaping holes in the walls. The Nundidroog Mine nearby, which once provided a living for thousands of miners, lay silent and swallowed by shrubs. <br /><br />A shadow of its former self?<br />Inside the once exclusive and elegant KGF Club which was built in 1897, the wooden ballroom floor which used to shine like a mirror in its polished hey day lay scratched, neglected and piled with plastic chairs. A bit of torn plastic covered the collapsed baby grand dumped in a corner.<br /><br />But the Club still had members...local businessmen, retired officers, BEML employees and anyone else willing to pay the rather hefty membership fees. The garden once resplendent with colourful flowers and most of the beautifully maintained tennis courts had all been taken over by shrubs. The famous Club bar still existed, but as a shadow of its former self. Like the Club, the adjacent golf course famous for its scraggy rather rough terrain was also still in use. <br /><br />So what makes KGF still tick? Obviously not the mines. “As many as 15,000 people commute to Bangalore every day,” said Kotnis, the treasurer of the KGF Club. Kotnis who had once worked for the mines was now attached to the Institute of Rock Mechanics situated where the rather cute KGF Dairy once stood. <br /><br />“Three train loads of people travel up and down every single day. KGF is still a good place to live in. Education is no problem and the township still has a good infrastructure. Schools, colleges, shops, hospitals clubs, theatres...we have everything here. People prefer to live in KGF and work in Bangalore.”<br /><br />The majestic bungalows are all occupied. They are ill-maintained, the gardens gone, the trees chopped off and the fencing broken, but still there are people living in them. These are the last occupants to whom the bungalows were leased as part of the compensation packet when the mines were closed. More than 3,000 houses have been allotted. The occupants have rights only over the buildings and not the surrounding lands.<br />That partly accounted for the wild patches which had taken over the once beautiful gardens. But, there was also no water in KGF so how could there be gardens?<br /><br />Flooded mines, waterless town<br />Once upon a time the beautiful little Bethemangalam reservoir close to the mining township had provided all the water it needed. It had a smart little pump house with a water purification plant imported from England and even a sailing club. But all that was in the long gone past. The sailing club was closed in the 1960s. After BEML came up on the outskirts of the mining township, the reservoir became inadequate. Today residents get tankers of water. Ironically, the mines themselves are flooded because when they were on the point of closure, the ancient English pumps broke down and could not be replaced.<br /><br />At the turn of the last century, KGF was a modern and exciting town to live in. The very first electricity transmitted from Sivanasamudram was supplied to KGF to run the mines. By the turn of the next century, the same old aging machinery was on its last gasp. Not many even knew how to maintain it. Today the machinery and the heritage power house lie disused. “In any other country the government would have made an attempt to preserve and showcase these heritage structures,” said a disgusted old-timer. He had worked in South Africa and he spoke about the disused mines there which had been converted into tourist attractions. But bureaucratic lethargy had prevented this from happening in KGF.<br /><br />The Mines had been dying for quite a while and over the years various explorations were made in and around KGF in the hope of reviving its fortunes. Many of the pits had proved to be unviable. But many experts feel that even today, the open cast mine at Malappakonda on the Andhra border and two more mines in Bisanatham on the outskirts of KGF show promise. They also say that the entire Kolar area is still rich with gold. <br /><br />Will the mines be revived?<br />I spoke to Nick Spencer, Managing Director of Kolar Gold, an Australia-based mining consortium which was formed with the intent of reviving mining in the Kolar area. According to him, a sizeable quantity of untapped gold was still lying inside the old mines and could be extracted using modern machinery. <br />The water flooding the mines could be pumped out with new powerful pumps and the gold which lay close to the surface on the sides of the old shafts could be located and mined with state-of-the-art tools. The mine tailings which still contained gold could be re-processed and the residual toxic waste compressed and disposed off. This would also clear the township of the huge cyanide dumps which have always been a major health hazard.<br /><br />Nick Spencer painted a beautiful picture. I could almost imagine the old bungalows coming to life again under the expert hands of specialist architects. The beautiful old hospital re-equipped. The clubs revived... dances, Christmas parties, cycling, picnics. Could KGF really re-emerge as the idyllic place it once was?<br />But, though Spencer has made countless visits over the last 10 years, not much has moved. In 2006, the Cabinet had approved of the sale of Bharat Gold Mines through a global tender. <br /><br />The employees were given first right of refusal but to avail of this, they had to form a society. The Australian consortium was willing to collaborate with them and provide funds as well as equipment and technical know how. But four years down the line, nothing has happened. Court cases and internal bickering amongst the various unions have vitiated all the negotiations. The workers remain splintered.<br /><br />Dust thou art...<br />Meanwhile, much of the valuable heritage equipment including the antique furniture and other material belonging to the Mines has disappeared over the years. The 100-year-old fire engine was disposed off for a pittance. The old tram tracks were looted and sold for scrap. Even the official Ambassador cars disappeared. No one even seems to know where the gold nuggets which were kept in safe keeping have gone.<br />And so, KGF is in a kind of limbo. While the hope of revival shimmers in the air like a mirage, on the ground desperate jobless people loot whatever they can lay their hands on. <br />But change is inevitable. After all, like the Phoenix, this gold-rich area has risen from the ashes many times before. And it will again. But when... and in what avatar... remains to be seen.</p>
