Jharia fire a threat to Dhanbad station

DHANBAD: Amid fears of the underground fire emanating from the colliery areas of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Jharia reaching the railway tracks near Basjoda and Angarpathar, the Dhanbad Railway and directorate general of mines safety (DGMS) have swung into action.
BCCL officials have been asked to take immediate action as the fire-prone areas lie in the vicinity of the Dhanbad-Ranchi main railway line.Sources said the underground fire is barely 25 metres away from the railway tracks passing through Angarpathar areas.
A team of DGMS and railway officials comprising DGMS deputy director R Meena, ADRM (Dhanbad division) H Raghu, along with other officials visited the affected areas and took stock of the situation on Monday and Tuesday. Seventeen express trains run from Dhanbad to Ranchi including Shatabdi, Garib Rath and LAP, among others.
DRM (Dhanbad division) B B Singh said, “Though everything is under control, we have instructed the BCCL authorities to take appropriate safety and preventive measures to avoid any untoward incident or loss to the railways. This is not new as similar such incidents have happened in the past. The BCCL and other authorities concerned have been trying their level best to stop the fire from reaching the railway tracks”.
Though DGMS deputy director R Meena could not be contacted, a railway official said Meena had already alerted BCCL as well as the railways in this regard.
“We cannot ascertain whether the underground fire will affect the railway tracks. This can only be examined and confirmed by the railway authorities concerned. But we normally instruct the BCCL authorities to go for trench cutting and other preventive actions in and around the railway tracks”, said the coal mines adviser of Dhanbad railway, Mohd Hasan, who along with other officials also reviewed the fire prone areas to take stock of the situation.