PEDDAPALLI: Two Singareni coal workers were buried alive and two others injured after a sidewall collapsed on them at the OCM-2 coal mine on Wednesday in Ramagundam limits. The injured workers were shifted to Singareni area hospital.
The deceased have been identified as Uppu Venkateshwarlu, a 52-year-old fitter, and Vidyasagar, a 45-year-old general mazdur. According to their colleagues, the four workers were repairing a leaking pipeline in the south section of OCM-2. To access the pipeline, they had dug a 15-feet pit. Due to rain, the sidewall of the pit collapsed on them while they were working.
Upon being alerted, the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) rescue team quickly responded, retrieving the deceased bodies and rescuing the two injured workers. Meanwhile, other coal workers and leaders criticised the SCCL authorities, accusing them of consistently neglecting the safety of coal workers despite frequent incidents occurring in both underground and open-cast (OCM) mines.
Reacting to the incident, Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy expressed his shock. Kishan urged SCCL authorities to prioritise coal workers’ safety, emphasising the need for stringent measures to improve safety standards in coal mines.
SCCL Managing Director N Balaram ordered a thorough probe into the incident. He said that SCCL would extend full support to the families of the deceased. He also directed officials to implement measures to prevent similar incidents.