Jamshedpur, May 15: Initial survey by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) officials for the expansion of Kiriburu and Meghataburu mines in West Singhbhum district has come to a grinding halt.

Officials, engaged in the expansion programme, are reluctant to carry out the survey following threats from the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC).

In the last week of April, four senior officials of Kiriburu unit of SAIL were kidnapped in broad daylight by the rebels and later released. The abducted officials were grilled on various aspects of the mines, including its financial status.

“Since the abduction, officials involved in the preliminary survey of virgin areas where fresh mining can be carried out, have left Kiriburu. They are not ready to resume work fearing a rerun of such incidents,” a senior official of the company told The Telegraph.

Officials said expansion plans in Kiriburu and Meghataburu could go haywire if proper steps were not taken by the agencies concerned to check growing extremism in the area.

The company has already decided to go in for expansion of these two mines that supply iron ore to Bokaro Steel Plant. Under the plan, virgin areas with rich deposits of iron ore have to be identified.

During his visit to Kiriburu a couple of months ago, SAIL chairman M.S. Jain directed officials to speed up expansion plans.

Local company officials are sceptical that the expansion programme at the twin mines can be delayed. “The survey involves field work, which will take place in the forest area. But after the abduction, none of the officials is willing to go to these areas. If survey work is delayed, all other processes will automatically get disrupted,” sources said.

Most of these SAIL officials, engaged in survey work, were either from Ranchi or Calcutta. “They went back after the incident and are unwilling to complete the work,” sources said.

Members of the Pollution Control Board, who were supposed to hold discussion with SAIL officials, are also not ready to go to Kiriburu.

Several contractors and suppliers from other parts of the state and outside involved with the Kiriburu and Meghataburu mines have stopped visiting the area.

“While the contractors are not ready to take risks and work in the mines, suppliers are unwilling to visit it. Machinery is not being repaired as suppliers are yet to provide the spare parts,” sources said. According to sources, production has been affected in the twin mines due to the extremist problem. “If the state government does not tackle the issue, Kiriburu and Meghataburu will soon become extremist-infested belt and that will have an adverse impact on these mines,” local SAIL officials said.