The Dhanbad administration on Wednesday evening began moving several families living in the land subsidence prone zones of the Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL)-owned Jharia coalfields to prevent loss of lives due to severe cyclonic storm Yaas.
As many as 13 families were asked to move to safer grounds from Rajpur Basti Number 7 of BCCL’s Area 9. “Despite BCCL’s notices to vacate the land, the families were living there. Their homes have developed cracks and smoke is emanating from the cracks nearby their homes. Hence, they were shifted to higher grounds,” Dhanbad SDO Surendra Kumar told TOI. BCCL’s general manager Somnath Chatterjee said: “Threat of land subsidence increases during heavy rains, which the cyclone will bring in.”
BCCL asked its offices to remain alert and asked the families living in Area 9 and Area 10 to move to safer places. Notices were pasted on the walls of the houses in Lilori Pathra, Balugadda, Lodna and other areas.
