SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 13: A sudden emission of flame from a borehole near Bansjora railway station between Dhanbad- Chandrapura (DC) line under Dhanbad rail division on Tuesday evening has created fear among the people of the Staff Colony.
The management of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) had dug more than dozen boreholes to pour down fire extinguishing chemicals for dousing underground fire near Dhanbad- Chandrapura railway line as well as the Staff Colony.
Since the spot of flame emission is near Bansjora railway station, people fear that it may lead to the closure of trains’ movement on the Dhanbad-Chandrapura line again.
Movement of 26 mail and express trains were closed on the 34 km long Dhanbad- Chandrapura rail line following the recommendation of the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) due to the danger of underground fire on June 15, 2017.
However, after 21 months of closure, the line was opened again on February 25, 2019 for a few selective trains.
Dhanbad rail division’s Public Relation Officer told the media that the fire was spotted 30 metres away from Bansjora railway station. “The area where the incident has happened falls under the management of Bharat Coking Coal Limited. As of now, the rail line is safe and has no danger of movement of trains on D-C line,” he said.
Residents of the Staff Colony alleged that the BCCL management has stopped pouring down water and chemicals in the hole for the last three years. Even the safety guidelines of DGMS and Central Institute of Mineral Research Fuel (CIMFR) are not followed. A Real-Time Monitoring System was also set up in the area to assess the status of underground fire. But that system is defunct after its cable and solar panel were stolen.
A senior official of BCCL on this matter said that the emission of fire flame from the hole was properly checked by pouring down 30,000 litres of water.
