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Dhanbad: Land subsidence hits fire-affected Lodna area
While nobody got injured during the incident, the smoke emanating from a crater with dimensions of around 60 feet by 15 feet made living conditions difficult for the residents, most of whom are daily wage workers, the people said.
A major land subsidence took place in the underground fire-affected Lodna area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, about 12 km from the district headquarters late Thursday night, creating panic among the residents, people familiar with the developments said.
While nobody got injured during the incident, the smoke emanating from a crater with dimensions of around 60 feet by 15 feet made living conditions difficult for the residents, most of whom are daily wage workers, the people said.
According to officials close to the developments, a high-level team from BCCL, led by AK Pandey, project officer of the Lodna area, reached the site Thursday night and assessed the subsidence site.
“They ensured the proper fencing of the crater with bamboo, red ribbon, etc. He also instructed BCCL officials to make proper lighting arrangements near the crater site to prevent anyone from accidentally venturing near the subsidence site due to darkness during the night,” one of the officials said.
Residents and members of the safety committee of BCCL held the lackadaisical attitude of the BCCL administration responsible for the incident.
They demanded comprehensive measures for ground stabilization to ensure the safety of the residents in the area.
Bihari Lal Chauhan, a member of the local safety committee and a resident, said, “A minor subsidence also took place in the area ahead of Durga Puja on October 21, during which some stopgap arrangements were made to prevent the further spread of the subsidence area.”
“Before the nationalisation of coal mines in the early 1970s, the colliery in the area was owned by a private owner. Due to unscientific mining carried out by private operators, land subsidence often occurs in the area, putting the lives of common people in danger,” said Chauhan, demanding effective steps from BCCL to stabilise the ground in the area.
“We will raise the issue in the safety committee of the colliery, composed of officers and trade union leaders, and demand effective steps for firefighting and ground stabilisation to avoid the recurrence of subsidence,” Chauhan added.
Talking to the media at the site of the incident, Pandey said, “I was sitting in the colliery office, and as soon as I heard the banging sound caused by land subsidence, I immediately rushed to the site with the colliery manager and safety officer. Later, I reached the site and supervised the fencing work carried out around the crater.”
“We will take concrete steps to solve the repeated incidents of subsidence after holding a meeting of the safety committee,” Pandey added.
