Amid continuous leakage of poisonous gas for the past eight days, Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) has ordered the evacuation of Rajput Basti in the Putki Balihari Colliery Area in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. The company pasted eviction notices on houses on Tuesday, acting on instructions issued by GM JK Mehta. However, the notices triggered strong resentment among locals, who tore them up in the presence of security personnel.
According to BCCL officials, the decision follows recommendations from an expert team of the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), which declared the locality unsafe after detecting persistently high levels of toxic gas during round-the-clock monitoring.
DGMS Central Zone Director AK Das has given written directives to BCCL, calling for the immediate evacuation of families living in the danger zone.
Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Aditya Ranjan said the situation poses a serious threat to life and property. He informed that alternative housing arrangements have been made at Belagadia and Karmatand townships, with affected families free to choose where they wish to relocate.
“The priority of the district administration is to provide a safe environment and protect people from life-threatening conditions. All necessary steps are being taken to safeguard residents of high-risk areas,” the DC stated.
Despite this, residents of Rajput Basti who inspected the accommodations in Belagadia Township have declined to shift, insisting that BCCL should first work towards stopping the gas leak instead of uprooting families from their homes.
Meanwhile, with toxic emissions still being reported from Rajput Basti and Masjid Muhalla, the administration has deployed two executive magistrates and 40 security personnel for continuous monitoring of the situation.
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