Trainee IAS officers witness Jharia coal mines fire during study tour

Dhanbad, Jan 3: A team of ten trainee IAS officers from the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, visited coal mining areas of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Dhanbad and took a close view of the Jharia coalfield mines fire.

The visit was part of their day-long Winter Study Tour. During the tour, the officers observed open-cast coal mining operations at the Block-2 Area of BCCL, underground coal mining at Munidih Colliery, and the Ena Fire Project in Jharia.

Surprise Over Jharia Fire Zone

The trainee officers closely observed the fire-affected areas of Jharia coalfields. In an unofficial interaction with local media persons, members of the team expressed surprise after witnessing the severity of the Jharia mines fire zone.

Visit to Belagadia Rehabilitation Township

Earlier in the day, the team visited Belagadia Township, where families displaced due to the Jharia mines fire have been rehabilitated. The officers assessed the facilities being provided to the residents. So far, around 3,000 displaced families from fire-prone areas have been rehabilitated in quarters at Belagadia Township.

According to authorized agencies, about 1,49,946 families living in dangerous zones affected by fire and land subsidence in Jharia still need to be shifted to Belagadia Township and other safer locations.

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Interaction With Dhanbad DC

The trainee IAS officers also met Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Aditya Ranjan and received guidance from him on matters related to commerce, industry, finance, and the economy.

Team Members and Officials

The team included group leader Sidharth Singh, assistant leader Akash Garg, and members Shobhika Pathak, Tashi Tenjin, Pelna Wangchuk, Pavitra P, Madhav Agrawal, Divyang Gupta, Deepak Kumar, and Sonam Norbu.

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Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Vikash Paliwal guided the officers during their visit to coal mines and other locations.