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Regular-article-logo Saturday, 28 June 2025

Mines still unsafe, rue Lalmatia kin

It has been a year since 18 workers lost their lives in a cave-in at Eastern Coalfields' Lalmatia mines in Godda district on December 29, but family members of the victims still have lots to complain about the state government's apathetic attitude towards the violation of safety and environmental norms at the mine and regarding payment of compensation.

Praduman Choubey Published 30.12.17, 12:00 AM
RELOOK AT TRAGEDY: Lalmatia colliery in Godda where 18 workers were buried alive in a cave-in on December 29, 2016

Dhanbad: It has been a year since 18 workers lost their lives in a cave-in at Eastern Coalfields' Lalmatia mines in Godda district on December 29, but family members of the victims still have lots to complain about the state government's apathetic attitude towards the violation of safety and environmental norms at the mine and regarding payment of compensation.

Trade unions on Friday held a condolence meeting at the site where the simmering discontent was palpable.

Talking to the Telegraph over phone from Ramgarh, Anwar Hussain, the cousin of victim Parwej Alam, said, "Ayasha Khatun, the widow of the deceased, has received Rs 18 lakh compensation from the outsourcing company and Eastern Coalfields but they are yet to get Rs 2 lakh announced by the state government."

Anwar, who is also the district vice-president of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, had camped at the site from December 30 to January 2 along with his uncle Qurban Ansari.

He said Parwej's octogenarian father Shamshud Hoda was worried about the future of his grandson, who was born five months after the tragedy.

"Two of our relatives used to work at Lalmatia mines where open cast mining was conducted by outsourcing firm Mahalakshmi Mining. Cousin Waris Ansari had a close shave but Parwej, a tipper truck driver, died," Hussain said, adding that the disregard for safety norms make mining operations a risky affair in Jharkhand.

Residents of several adjoining villages such as Bhado Tola, Lohangia Basti and Chotabhorai also expressed dissatisfaction over the rise in pollution and displacement caused by reckless and unplanned mining by private outsourcing companies.

Muzaffar Alam, the district organisational secretary of human rights outfit Manav Adhikar Mission and a resident of Bhado Tola locality of Lalmatia, said, "Most of the residents of our village have shifted to Mahgama, about 4km away, as rampant mining by ECL had led to an increase in pollution level and made the place unsafe for living."

He said repeated complaints to the district administration about the violation of safety norms proved futile.

Mazhar Ansari, a resident of the same village and Manav Adhikar Mission's as district industrial security unit secretary , said adequate compensation was not being paid to land losers.

AK Jha, general secretary of trade union Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh, said, The Lalamatia incident is an example of the ill-effects of the privatisation of mines promoted by the government for profit in gross disregard of the safety norms."

After attending a condolence meeting on Friday, GM of Rajmahal (Lalmatia mines) Arun Kumar Jha said, "We have increased safety measures in the mines after last year's incident."

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