Raja Shiv Prasad (RSP) College in Jharia, the oldest under-graduate institution in the Coal Belt region, will soon have a new address.

The looming threat of an underground fire at the BCCL colliery near Bhagatdih has forced the district administration to scout for a new campus.

Three sites - a BCCL land of around 2.5acres at Patherdih, a coal board land of around 8.9acres near Kumar Talkies in Dhanbad and another coal board land of around 4.5acres behind Kamdhenu Petrol Pump in Dhansar - are being considered for the purpose.

Jharia Rehabilitation Development Authority (JRDA) in-charge Gopal Ji and additional collector Manoj Kumar visited the three proposed sites on Monday and submitted a report to deputy commissioner Kripanand Jha.

However, the deputy commissioner said the final decision would be taken after a meeting with the college authorities and other stakeholders like BCCL, JRDA etc.

However, according to the report, the sprawling 8.9-acre plot near Kumar Talkies is the most suitable for the college. "The plot has two water tanks and a few vacant residential quarters that can be used by the college," said Gopal Ji.

About the other two sites, Gopal Ji said that the BCCL plot was too small and would be around 10km away from the present campus. "Similarly, the coal board site is also inadequate. Besides, that area is dotted with a number of residential quarters of the coal board," he added.

No matter which site is selected, the construction cost will be borne by BCCL.

Established in 1949 on a 7-acre plot provided by the then King of Jharia Estate Kali Prasad Singh, the cradle was the first degree college across Dhanbad. At present, the institution has student strength of around 7,500.

Notably, BCCL had suggested to shift the college to its Bihar Building near Katras More during a meeting convened by chief secretary Rajiv Gauba earlier this month.

The college authorities, however, rejected the proposal outright, citing insufficient space at the building as the main cause. Besides, a case is also pending in Jharkhand High Court regarding the plot's ownership.

"We had suggested deputy commissioner Jha to shift the college to a non-coal bearing area. The Bihar Building is not one and this means the underground fire will be threat there also," said botany department head Jai Narayan Singh who is also the media in-charge of the college.

The underground fire is raging since 2006 and is spreading towards the college. According to a study conducted by CIMFR, the fire cannot be controlled but using nitrogen foam and creating water barriers can thwart its progress.