BJP blames State Govt for illegal mining deaths
Jharkhand BJP chief spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo today strongly condemned the recent illegal mining racket in Dhanbad that claimed the lives of three villagers and left several others injured. He charged that these deaths are not mere accidents but the direct and horrifying consequence of rampant, state-sponsored illegal mining flourishing under the protection of the Hemant Soren government.
Three people allegedly engaged in illegal mining on Sunday suffered injuries at a mine of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district following subsidence.
The subsidence, which allegedly occurred due to illegal mining, took place in Kushalpur Kumarpatti opencast mine under Ramkanali police outpost.
Pratul alleged that over the past seven years, dozens of lives have been lost due to collapses caused by illegal mining. In the Dhanbad region, this deadly trade has continued unchecked. Despite repeated tragedies, no effective curb has been imposed. He questioned how open illegal coal mining is being allowed in closed mines and where the mandatory safety arrangements are.
Pratul further alleged that the State government is opposing the MMDR Act precisely because the law contains strict provisions against illegal mining. The government does not want tough action against the mafias. As a result, the lives of ordinary villagers are being sacrificed so that the mining mafia and their political patrons can continue to prosper. Expert assessments indicate that the volume of coal extracted through illegal mining now exceeds the official production of Coal India’s subsidiary units.
He issued a clear warning: if the state government fails to rein in illegal mining, the Bharatiya Janata Party will expose the government’s complicity and launch a statewide agitation on this issue.
He said, “This Act exists to protect the people of Jharkhand, to provide them with employment, and to ensure they do not fall victim to displacement and forced migration.”
