TEACHER: The Mahanadi Coalfield Limited CMD BN Shukla on Monday termed the Bharatpur Open Cast Project mishap that has claimed three lives as “peculiar” in the manner in which the earth dump slid a considerable distance and trapped miners.
On a visit to the accident site to take stock of the situation, Shukla said the unfortunate incident occurred due to ‘sliding of barrier’ in the mine. The mining operation was on at least 130 metres from the earth dump which slid up to that point and took the miners under it.
“There were 13 persons in the shift and nine were rescued while four remained buried under the debris. Three bodies have been recovered and efforts are on to retrieve the fourth body, which is that of private security staff,” he added. Speaking to media persons Shukla said, the site has the permission of mines safety authorities and earlier mining was going on close to the dump. Three enquiry committees are probing into the incident. One is by MCL while two others are by CIL and Mines Safety Department.
To prevent further such mishaps in the future, the MCL chief said he has asked safety committee members to inspect all the mines under MCL to check if Bharatpur like condition prevails and take steps accordingly if needed. The CMD also said compensation to be given in the event of such mishaps can also be decided and he is ready to hold a meeting with the stakeholders on the matter.
Meanwhile, work at Talcher Coalfields remained paralysed for the sixth consecutive day on Monday, severely affecting fuel supply to coal-fired power plants in the country. Talcher coalfield produces 2.1 lakh tonne coal per day on an average during the rainy season. The quantum loss to the company due to stoppage of operations has been estimated at Rs85.68 crore while the loss to the State and Central Exchequer is estimated to be around Rs 55.46 crore.
The stoppage of work in Talcher Coalfields has resulted in an estimated power generation loss to the tune of 1339.42 million units. NTPC Kaniha, which takes coal from Talcher Coalfields, is the worst sufferer and has shut down three of its six units. Power supply to its 17 consuming states including Odisha has been curtailed. “We are trying to stabilise the remaining three units with partial load due to want of coal from Talcher,” said an NTPC official.