Slate mine reduced to an election slogan

By Baburam Sharma,Dolakha, Feb. 17: The long-closed slate mine in Alampu of Bigu Rural Municipality-6, Dolakha, once the backbone of livelihoods for generations, has repeatedly featured only as an election promise, leaving the Thami community increasingly anxious as pledges remain unfulfilled.

Locals said that political parties visit their homes during election campaigns, promising to manage the mine and provide jobs. But once elected, leaders disappear, and the mine slips back into neglect.

Kaluman Thami, 65, who has worked in the mine continuously since the age of 15, expressed his frustration. “Organising our jobs is always an election slogan. After winning, we do not even see the leaders’ faces,” he said.

“We have survived by extracting slate from dangerous cliffs, yet despite changes in the political system, nothing has changed in our lives. We have been deceived by leaders’ indifference,” he said.

Crushed by poverty and lacking basic education and health services, the Thami community is struggling to make ends meet as the mine remains closed. “Every election, they ask for votes saying they will build roads to the mine and improve education and health services,” Kaluman added. 

“After winning, they never return. Instead of managing the mine, we hear rumours of it being shut down. We have no other way to survive.” Similar assurances were made during the local elections, but nothing has materialised. Phulman Thami said, “Nothing has happened so far. Elections are approaching again -- what else can we expect except hollow promises? Democracy and republicanism have changed leaders’ lives, not ours.”

The community recalls extreme hardship when the mine was completely closed for two years after the earthquake. As the mine falls within the Gaurishankar Conservation Area, rumours of permanent closure have driven many young people abroad in search of work. With mostly elderly people now dependent on the mine, locals fear the community itself could disappear if operations stop altogether.

Buddhimaya Thami said the worry of survival is growing. “We are constantly anxious about how to live. If leaders kept their promises, there would be jobs. After elections, it becomes hard even to see them. When will leaders realise that promises alone are not enough? In some ways, life was better before this situation.”

The slate from this mine is considered high quality and has been sent to the United States and Australia for sample testing. A study by the Department of Mines and Geology estimates that the total extractable slate area is 26,908,775 square feet. According to a report by an American team, the mine has an estimated lifespan of 133 years.

There was a time, especially in winter, when long lines of people could be seen carrying slate from the area. Workers used to say that once slate was extracted, it sold immediately. At the time, slate sold for Rs. 600 per piece, while transportation cost Rs. 11 per piece. Today, although there is little slate to carry, locals said it was their misfortune that the mine has been pushed into obscurity.