Kolkata: Fresh subsidence was reported from Raniganj in West Bengal's Burdwan district where a fire in abandoned mines of the Eastern Coalfields has been raging since December 30.

Fifty houses developed cracks as fresh subsidence was reported from Nimcha area, while fire was reported from another abandoned mine at Barakar where billowing smoke forced local people to shift to safer places, official sources said.

The authorities, have put up "Danger zone" boards around Nimcha and were in touch with the Directorate-General of Mines Safety (DGMS), to speed up fire control operations "before the situation goes out of control".

The sources said 3,000 people that had left three fire- affected areas. Illegal mining in the abandoned ECL mines is spread around 100 acres in Nimcha and Raniganj areas.
The fire at Nimcha was 500 metre away from the railway tracks on the Asansol division of Eastern Railway, though the Railways maintain that the area was still safe.
The sources said that the National Highway 2 was about 200 metre away and Indian Oil Corporation's Haldia-Barauni pipeline 220 metre from the mine fire.

"ECL has taken adequate steps to ensure safety of the vital installations nearby," the sources said The district administration has formed a 5-member committee to assess the rehabilitation of people affected by the fire and subsidence.

ECL sources said about 600 pits had been dug by the coal mafia to illegally mine coal after the area was abandoned about 15 years ago.

Source : PTI