Heads roll as Minister suspends key officials

Heads roll as Minister suspends key officials
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, FEB 11: Four officers three of Coal India Ltd and one of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) were today suspended by Coal Minister Shahnawaz Hussain, holding them responsible for the mines tragedy at Katras Choitudih and Bagdighi, where 21 miners are still trapped.

The Minister has suspended A K Sengupta, deputy chief mining engineer and agent, R N Kundu, ex-assistant survey officer and R C Dass, assistant survey officer for lapses leading to the trapping at Bagdighi from where 16 bodies have been recovered so far, an official statement said here.

In BCCL’s Katras Choitudih, where one miner is reported to have been trapped underground, while 113 escaped when water gushed during the blasting operation on February nine, Bhola Mahato, a shot firer, has been placed under suspension.

The stern action has been initiated by the Minister a day after he visited CIL’s Bagdighi mines in Dhanbad.

Hussian had yesterday stated that there was a prima facie case against the agent and two surveyors of the Bagdighi mine for the disaster and they would be placed under suspension pending inquiry.

The suspension follows a preliminary inquiry into the incident and further action would be taken once the inquiry report is submited, Coal Secretary N K Sinha said.

The Minister announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1.25 lakh to each of the family of the bereaved of the Bagdighi mine. He also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 50,000 to Salim Ansari, the lone survivor in the Bagdighi mine.Meanwhile in Dhanbad, the body of two miners, including an official, was recovered today from the Bagdihi mine, taking the toll to 14.

BCCL sources said a six-member rescue team recovered the bloated corpse of Manager A K Upadhayay this morning, while the body of cableman Sartraj Prasad was recovered this afternoon.

Only one miner Selim Ansari was found alive on Thursday and 23 others, including the assistant manager, were feared dead.

Sources said two ‘rotary pumps’ were working at the site to remove the slush and all the bodies could be recovered in another two-three days.

Rescue workers were searching dewatered areas of the pump from the Jairampur side.

The body of Pritam Singh (cable operator) was found on February five. Subsequently, bodies of Chhotu Mian (line mazdoor), Chanderdeo Harijan (dresser), Brij Mohan Singh (Mazdoor), Sheo Charan Tanti (cableman), Swaminath Nonia (mining sardar), Arup Yadav (prop mazdoor), Rajendra Prasad Yadav (foreman), Arvind Kumar (foreman in charge), Manoj Kumar Jaswar (cableman), Abdul Hamid (mining sardar), Upadhyay and Sartraj Prasad were recovered.

All the corpses were sent to Central Hospital here for post-mortem. Caplamps and other belongings found with the bodies were also sent there.

Meanwhile, the miner who died at BCCL’s Katras Chautudih mine on Friday in another mining accident was identified as Rajendra Mahato (shot firer), the sources said.