Union Coal Ministry Under Secretary AK Mandal has urged the Coal India limited (CIl) Director to take appropriate measures within eight weeks to tackle subsidence menace in Talcher mining belt. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had directed the CIl to take action on the issue after a petition in this regard was filed by former MlA and Brahmani Anchal Surakasha Parishad president Bibhudhendra Pratap Das.
In his petition, Das had requested the NHRC to intervene in the case involving an imminent threat to lives of about 1 lakh people of Talcher owing to surface subsidence. Alleging that the Mahanadi Coalfields limited (MCl), a subsidiary of the CIl, has maintained serious lapses in filling the voids with sand created due to sub-surface mining, Das had stated the NHRC that already the surface has sunk low in as many as 20 places in last 35 years including three recently under the Talcher Municipality area. He mentioned that Handidhua, Deulabera and Dera areas of Talcher have faced the occurrences of subsidence most often, while there is lurking danger of similar occurrences in several other parts with human habitations.
He said that the Director, Mines Safety of Odisha had instructed the Talcher-Angul Development Authority (TADA) not to allow construction of new buildings in the vulnerable areas and declare them as no construction zone keeping in view the imminent danger of subsidence. Stating that sand filling (42.8 per cent as informed by the Mines Minister in Assembly) in the voids is inadequate and that Talcher comes under a quake prone area, Das said the Government needs to shift the vulnerable people to safer places immediately with their consent.
Das lamented that though there is an order of the Odisha High Court in 1992 where the MCl has been directed to take remedial measures against occurrence of subsidence in Talcher area, the latter has not taken any tangible action in this regard.