Probe begins into coal dump mishap

Sambalpur-based Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Northern range) Pramod Meherda on Thursday arrived in Sundargarh on a two-day visit to inquire into the coal overburden dump mishap at Kulda mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL).

Sambalpur-based Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Northern range) Pramod Meherda on Thursday arrived in Sundargarh on a two-day visit to inquire into the coal overburden dump mishap at Kulda mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL).

Sources said the RDC, accompanied by Sundargarh Collector Bhupinder Singh Punia, visited Hemgir Tehsil office where witnesses deposed before him.

As many as 13 persons had died in the partial collapse of the overburden dump at Kulda open cast project of MCL in Hemgir block on August 10. The State Government has ordered an independent inquiry by the RDC, while Chaibasa-based officials of Directorate General of Mines Safety are carrying out a separate inquiry.Jumbos Return

to Bisra Range

Rourkela: A herd of 17 wild elephants of adjacent Jharkhand forest returned to Bisra forest range of Sundargarh district.

Bisra Range Officer SC Sahani said the herd has been wreaking havoc in the border villages of Sukuda, Kudahudang, Ajeikela, Kundaposh and Erla for the past four days. Sahani said standing paddy crop on more than five acres was destroyed by the elephant herd. Forest officials and villagers are facing a tough time to keep the animals at bay.

On Thursday evening, the forest officials launched a drive to send the herd to a nearby forest from Kulagaja village. Before this, the herd had been driven to Jharkhand in September, said Sahani.

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