Bokaro, April 8: Union coal secretary A.K. Dubey visited Parbatpur today, but had to return from the gates of the coal block after being confronted by thousands of workers rendered jobless ever since Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) was appointed custodian of the mine.

Dubey, accompanied by BCCL CMD T.K. Lahiri, travelled in a convoy of 10 cars with around two dozen CRPF personnel from Bokaro to reach the Parbatpur coal block, around 30km away, at 11.30am.

But the team turned around from the gates and sped off towards Chas before the belligerent crowd of workers could hand over a memorandum of their demands to Dubey.

"I came to visit the coal block, but although I did not enter the plant, I have seen what I wanted to see. I will submit my report to the ministry," Dubey said after The Telegraph caught up with his convoy at Telgaria, around 20km from Parbatpur.

Asked to comment on the future of the coal block, de-allocated from Electrosteel Steels Ltd, which runs a 2.5MTPA steel plant at nearby Siyaljori, Dubey said BCCL's role was limited to being its custodian.

On the future of the workers, who were working for ESSL at the coal block on contract, the secretary refused to comment. "The BCCL is doing its job," he added.

Earlier in Dhanbad, Dubey clarified that as custodian of the mine, it was not the responsibility of BCCL to give jobs to the workers who had lost out on their employment opportunity after the Parbatpur coal block was de-allocated.

Bokaro police sources claimed Dubey's statements and his whistle-stop visit to Parbatpur without as much as stepping out of his car at the gates of the coal block, upset the workers who had been protesting since last week.

Bokaro administration then dispatched a large posse of policemen from Chandankyari, Siyaljori and Telgaria to prevent a flare-up at Parbatpur. The policemen were in place by 12.30pm.

"Yes, the situation was tense. We could not take any chances as thousands of jobless workers of the coal block are in a belligerent mood," said SDO S.N. Ram.