By IANS
Kolkata : A part of West Bengal’s industrial settlement Asansol subsided by 25 feet Thursday, endangering the lives of thousands of people living in the neighbourhood.
The subsidence took place at a coalmine area near Nimcha village in Burdwan district in the morning as people suddenly noticed the cave-in and gas billowing from the underground.
Panic gripped over 5,000 people in the area and local residents vented ire against Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) authorities.
“We are extremely worried as we stay here with our families. Now, we don’t know where to go if anything untoward takes place,” Monoranjan Topdar, a local resident, said.
ECL authorities visited the area and started filling the cracks with sand.
“We are keeping a watch on the situation and taking adequate measures to prevent any massive subsidence,” M.N. Sinha, an ECL official, said.
Last month, a devastating fire in seven illegal coalmines ravaged Jamuria-Satgram area in Asansol. The fire spread rapidly to the adjacent mines even as ECL authorities tried to seal the mouth of the mines.