Jharia mine fire threatens area

A report filed by the deputy commissioner (DC) of Dhanbad, declaring that the Jharia coalfields area was under the threat of collapsing due to underground fires had highlighted the threat facing the region.

The report had led the Jharkhand High Court to direct the state government to submit a detailed report on the threat of landslides in the area.

The DC in his report said Jharia was an "unsafe zone" owing to underground fires in all its major areas.

The underground fire was spreading fast in the area and this was endangering the lives of people living there.

A major accident could occur any moment causing loss of many human lives.

The High Court recently heard a PIL filed by Ajay Kumar Singh and the court of Chief Justice M Karpagavinayagam and Justice N N Tiway asked the advocate general to collect all the details regarding the underground fire in Jharia and submit it to the court.

The PIL was filed for the closure of a weighbridge which handled some 400 trucks regularly, and this load in the vicinity of the weighbridge had led to increasing of the threat of landslide in the area.

The court had directed the district administration to close the weighbridge and also submit a report on the present status of the Jharia underground fire.

On the basis of the report of the DC, the court ordered the advocate general to submit a report on Jharia underground fire.