TALCHER: A fresh sinkhole in a farmland in Deulbera Telisahi village within Colliery police limits led to panic among locals on Wednesday.
The hole, around 15 feet wide and 50 feet deep, was discovered by the villagers in the morning on land of one Akhaya Sahu. They informed Talcher Sub-Collector Paresh Naik of the incident and blocked Dera-Handidhua road demanding steps to prevent such recurrence in future.
The villagers blamed underground mining in the area for caving in of the land. They alleged coal mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) which are now shut, were not properly filled with sand after extraction.
However, PRO of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) D Mehra refuted the allegations and said a scientific study conducted in the area ruled out any possibility of such occurrence.
Meanwhile, Naik said a team of officials of Mining department was sent to the spot to inspect the hole. He said a probe would be conducted into the matter and steps taken to fill up the sinkhole.
Earlier in December 2018, similar incident was reported from two houses in the town. A portion of land measuring around 5 feet in length and 6 feet in width had sunk inside a house and the hole later expanded to a neighbouring house.