SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 21: Chief Secretary (CS) Alka Tiwari has set a record by becoming the first Chief Secretary of Jharkhand to spend three consecutive days in Dhanbad on an official visit.
Since the creation of Jharkhand in 2000, no Chief Secretary—from Vijay Shankar Dubey to Lalbiatluanga Khiangte (who served until November 2024)—has undertaken such an extended official tour of the district. Her visit marks a notable deviation from the trend of brief official stopovers.
Meetings on Jharia Rehabilitation and Township Visit
Alka Tiwari arrived in Dhanbad on Friday, July 18, and chaired a key meeting on the Revised Jharia Master Plan at the collectorate with senior officials from the district administration and Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
On Saturday, July 19, she visited Belgaria Township, where displaced families from Jharia’s underground fire zones have been relocated. She interacted with residents and their children to understand ground-level issues and gather feedback on rehabilitation efforts.
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Moonidih Mine Visit with Top Officials
On Sunday, July 20, Tiwari, accompanied by former Chief Secretary DL Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner Aditya Ranjan, and senior BCCL officials including Chairman-cum-Managing Director Samiran Dutta, toured the underground mines of Moonidih. The delegation also included BCCL’s Director (Technical) Sanjay Kumar Singh and Director (Project & Planning) Manoj Kumar Agrawal.
Later that afternoon, she departed for Ranchi, concluding her unprecedented three-day visit.
No Precedent Even Before Bifurcation
Even prior to Jharkhand’s formation, during Bihar’s rule from 1956 to 2000, no Chief Secretary had stayed in Dhanbad for such an extended period. This includes during major crises like the 1975 Chasnala mine tragedy (which claimed 375 lives), the 1991 killing of SP Randhir Prasad Verma by Punjab-based terrorists, and the 2000 murder of Nirsa MLA Gurudas Chatterjee.
Veteran Dhanbad journalist Bankhandi Mishra (92), who has been reporting since 1956, confirmed that in his memory, no Chief Secretary had ever stayed for three consecutive days on official duty in the district.
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Stay at Maithon Dam and Secrecy of Schedule
Throughout her visit, the Chief Secretary stayed at the scenic DVC Maithon Dam, located about 40 km from the district headquarters.
Notably, the last known high-profile stay at the dam was by former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who spent three private days there during Holi in 2009, without any official engagements.
Interestingly, the district administration kept the CS’s three-day schedule largely confidential. While her meeting at the Collectorate was announced, the media was not informed in advance about her visits to Belgaria Township on July 19 and the Moonidih underground mines on July 20.
