Coal secretary directs officials to expedite rehabilitation process

Coal Secretary Anil Jain onThursday reviewed progress of the rehabilitation projectfor people living in fire and subsisdence-prone areas inJharia and directed officials to implement it on a prioritybasis, a senior mining official said.

As per the latest survey, 1.04 lakh families,including 32,000 legal land owners living in 595 fire andsubsidence-prone spots in Jharia have to be shifted to safeplaces under Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority(JRDA).

Underground fires have been burning under thecountry's largest coalfield in Jharkhand for over a century.

The coal secretary visited Jinagora coal project inLodna area and assessed the condition of residents livingthere.

Coal India Ltd (CIL) chairman Pramod Agrawal, BharatCoking Coal Ltd (BCCL) chairman cum managing director GopalSingh, Dhanbad deputy commissioner Umashankar Singhaccompanied the coal secretary.

Jain will also visit the rehabilitation site for thedisplaced families during his two-day stay.

So far around 3,500 families have been shifted toBenagaria township area, set up for displaced families.

A senior BCCL official said, the coal secretaryexpressed satisfaction over the progress of rehabilitationprocess being executed by JRDA.