Dhanbad: Two cracks measuring more than 10-feet-wide and 1-foot-deep have opened up on a kutcha road in the underground coal fire-hit Liloripathra locality under Jharia thana area, around 12km from the district headquarters, in the small hours of Wednesday prompting the district administration to barricade the site and begin filling it up sand and soil with the help of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).

Around 11am, a team of district administration and BCCL officials led by subdivisional officer Ananya Mittal reached the site and took stock of the situation. The team, which also comprised Sindri DSP Pramod Keshri, Jharia circle officer Kedar Nath Singh and BCCL Lodna area general manager Kalyanji Prasad, decided to carry out a socio-economic survey of the residents to initiate rehabilitation measures.

Pritam Rawani, a local resident said, "though a half-a-dozen small cracks had developed on a kutcha road connecting Jharia with Lodna passing through Liloripathra around a fortnight ago, two of these got bigger prompting the administration to initiate rehabilitation measures."

Jharia circle officer Kedar Nath Singh, who inspected the site and interacted with local residents said, "although the cracks have developed around 200 metres away from human habitation, we have decided to conduct a socio-economic survey in the area to find out the population besides ascertaining whether they are eligible for rehabilitation."

Prasad, under whose jurisdiction the affected site is located said, "around 300 families reside in Liloripathra. Although some residents, mainly non-BCCL families, had earlier objected to the survey to be carried out by Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority (JRDA), they have now agreed to cooperate."

The state government has given JRDA the task to relocate over one lakh people living in 595 fire-prone sites of Jharia Coalfield Region.