The underground fire-affected Lodna area of BCCL experienced a subsidence early on Wednesday morning when a portion of a milkman’s house and cattle shed caved in.

There was no loss of life although the subsidence, a familiar danger of the Jharia coal belt region, created panic among the over 1,000 families of Lodna Bazar and adjoining areas.

A team of Bharat Coking Coal officials, led by Lodna Colliery project officer K.K. Singh, reached the site soon enough and collated details of the incident from the milkman and other local residents. They also suggested remedial measures, including soil stowing at the site, to prevent any further damage.

The damaged house after the subsidence at Lodna in Jharia, Dhanbad, on Wednesday Shabbir Hussain

Milkman Ramchandra Yadav said, “The incident took place at 4am when all of us woke up to the sound of a big bang. We found that the boundary of my house was damaged and the cowshed, situated about 10 feet away, had caved into the ground. "

He said they have been living in the area for the last three decades. “Earlier, our house used to be on the portion that caved in. It was converted to a cow shed and we moved about 10 feet away from there,” he said, adding that fortunately there were no animals in the shed at the time of the accident.

“We have lost some furniture and domestic articles. We have demanded compensation from BCCL,” Yadav added.

Yadav’s neighbour Naushad Ansari said, “We are scared after the incident. The site is close to a government school. Lodna Bazar, which is a densely populated area, is also not too far from the cave-in site."

Ansari said BCCL authorities should immediately initiate fire-fighting measures by dumping soil in the area to prevent any further subsidence.

BCCL project officer Singh said they had launched efforts to dump soil in the area to try and prevent further subsidence. “The area has been declared dangerous several years ago and people have been served notices to vacate the area several times. We will also try to shift out residents in association with the authorities,” he said.

Md Mukhtar, a resident of Lodna, said Wednesday’s cave-in brought to the fore the sheer helplessness of the local population. “If residents of the area shift out on their own, they will be denied compensation as per the Jharia master plan. Yet, there is no effort to shift us from such a dangerous place," he said.