Three people from Rajwar Basti were injured due to mining explosions carried out in the adjoining colliery on Thursday. The slum is located near the BCCL Dobari Colliery, about six kilometers away from Dhanbad district headquarters. Half a dozen houses in the slum also sustained damages.
The injured, identified as Bedni devi, Shambhu Rajwar and Vickey Rajwar have been admitted for treatment at the Patliputra Medical College and Hospital, after a team of Jharia Police led by assistant sub inspector Arun Kumar, reached the site. The police also freed Vinay Signh, a supervisor at Dobari Colliery, held by enraged residents of the slum. They had gathered at the colliery to protest the incident, and demanded immediate action to hold those responsible.
Such procedures are normal at colliery sites, where explosives are used to shatter rocks for mining coal. Due procedure involves issuance of warning to locals, urging them to stay indoors during the blasts.
Ritesh Rajwar, a resident of Rajwar Basti said, “we were not informed of the explosion,and it took us completely by surprise. People who were outside got injured after being hit by boulders.”
Santosh Rajwar, another resident of Rajwar Basti, said, “the explosions were carried out around 5.30 in the morning, when majority of the residents of our colony were sleeping in their houses. We came out after hearing loud noise to find a thick cloud of dust enveloping the sky besides, raining stones and rocks on our terraces and walls, damaging several houses.”
Pinaki Roy, a member of Jharia Coalfield Bachao Samiti, a frontal organization fighting the displacement of people in coal mining areas said, “the colony is tactfully being targeted by the private miner operating on behalf of BCCL in order to evacuate the area so that they can expand their operations and carry out reckless mining, violating norms.”
Colliery supervisor Vinay Singh said, “Major part of the explosions were carried out last night after giving proper warning to people. But sudden explosions took place on Thursday morning, probably due to some error. Even i have been injured during the blasting.”
