Jharkhand State Council of the Communist Party of India (CPI) has demanded immediate arrest of whosesoever was found guilty prima facie in lalmatia Open Cast Mine disaster, which claimed 18 lives on December 30 last year. Party Secretary KD Singh also accused Eastern Coalfields limited (ECl) officials of saving their own face and escaping from responsibilities by trying to protect the officials of the company behind the curtain of Mine’s Act which was authorized to continue mining despite signals of possible accident.
“It is a matter of grave concern that no one knows even the exact number of labourers and workers present on the occasion when unfortunate accident took place. Even rescue team officials admit that there might be at least 4-5 more bodies buried under the debris, which has been claimed to take months to be cleared from the site. It only meant that there will be next to impossible chance for those still buried to be identified, even if their remains are found in some months,” said Singh.
In his letter written to the Chief Secretary (Jharkhand), Singh said that even after two weeks of the accident, Neither ECl nor mining company at that site Mahalaxmi Company (Private) limited came out with exact number of workers present there. The letter also accused ECl and mining company that both the companies must be familiar with the fact that most of the died labourers either recovered or still buried were not locals, that was why the companies were sure of no public movement taking shape against them.
Apart from immediate arrest of responsible ECl and Mahalaxmi officials, the party has also demanded immediate recovery of all possible dead bodies buried there, so that at least their family members came to know about their fate. The letter also carried demand of increasing amount of compensation offered from State government to Rs 7 lakh from 2 lakh, so that the total compensation stood at Rs 25 lakh.
“It only means that Mahalaxmi was not at all bothered about Mines Safety Act and Mines Act at the time of work or at the venue. It is true that two nearby rescue teams, one from Sitapur and another from Siguli responded quickly. But members of both the teams admitted during my conversation with them on January 9 that they were experts of underground mines and not the opencast mines,” said Singh.