Kolkata, Jan 6 - Leaping flames and smoke billowing from illegal coal pits in the Ranigunj-Asansol colliery belt in West Bengal's Burdwan district have created panic in the area.In Nimcha village in the district, thousands of villagers fled their homes as several houses developed cracks and a cloud of smoke hung over the area through the day, making it difficult for people to breathe.The fire was first noticed in an abandoned mine near Saatgram on Dec 31 and soon spread across the area.A piece of land also caved in Friday near the Ranigunj coal mine, about 230 km from here. The coalmines, lying between the Benali Colliery and the East Satgram Colliery, are in Jamuria.The National Highway No 2 and an oil pipeline of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) are located close by.Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) authorities cordoned off the entire area and put up a danger notice at the site. They also started filling up the cracks with sand and mud.'We live in perpetual fear of being swallowed by leaping flames,' said Sitaram Mukherjee, a resident of Nimcha.Disgruntled villagers met ECL general manager K.P. Singh and accused the company of lifting coal without taking precautions against subsidence.'This is not the time to blame anybody. We are trying our best and filling up the cracks with sand and mud,' Singh said.'We demanded that land should be cut out at about 100 feet and filled with sand and water. Officials are around and are trying to control the fire and ensure villagers' safety,' said another local resident Gautam Majhi.Asansol sub-divisional officer A.P. Roy said Nimcha residents might have to be shifted if the Directorate General Of Mines (Safety) declared the village unsafe.'We have requested the Directorate General of Mines (Safety) to conduct a survey in the area,' Roy said.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
