Date:02/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/02/stories/2008010260301200.htm

National

Illegal mines catch fire in Asansol region

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: A raging fire broke out in three pits where illegal mining was being carried out in the Ranigunj coal belt on Monday causing grave concern to the administration as well as the officials of the Coal India Limited subsidiary, the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL).

While the ECL officials claim that the surface fire has now been contained, smoke is still billowing out of the pits creating panic among the local residents.

The ‘mines’ lying between Benali Colliery and east Satgram colliery is in the Jamuria area, around 200 km from here.

The National Highway 2 is about a kilometre away. An oil pipeline belonging to the Indian Oil Corporation also passes through this area.

The ECL officials said that IOC officials visited the area and efforts were on to find the exact location of the underground pipeline.

Sources said that although these mines had been abandoned since nationalisation of coal in 1975, unscrupulous elements excavated the sealings and extracted coal from near the surface.

This provided access to the coal lying in the deeper seams which caught fire after coming in contact with the air.

ECL Chairman and Managing Director S. Chakraborty told The Hindu from Asansol that the fires which broke out on Monday, had been contained on the surface by ‘dousing’ the open pits with raw earth.

“We have pressed into service heavy earth-moving equipment and no fires are visible from the surface now,” Mr. Chakraborty said.

He attributed the smoke to the smouldering coal underneath.