Dhanbad families refuse relocation; demand technical solution as toxic gas leak persists
RANCHI: The families affected by the toxic gas leak in Dhanbads Kenduadih have directly rejected the proposal to relocate to a safer place. They made it clear on Monday that they would not abandon their ancestral land and relocate to the proposed sites at Belgadia or Karmatand. According to the affected families, the land is the heritage of their generations, and there is no question of leaving it. We would rather die, but not leave our land, they said unanimously. They believe that instead of displacing them, BCCL management should focus on extracting the gas and finding a technical solution to the problem. Relocating would provide neither employment nor essential amenities, further worsening their lives, they said. Notably, even after more than six days of the gas leak incident, no concrete measures have been taken to deal with the situation. The affected families alleged that they have long been demanding that BCCL start the underground mine's fan and extract gas through drilling, but the management is not taking their demands seriously and is only insisting on displacement. Raising slogans against BCCL management, they warned that they will intensify their protest if a permanent technical solution to the gas leak is not found soon. They also made it clear that they would not leave Kenduadih till their death. Social activist and local resident Awadhesh Paswan also asserted that no one is going anywhere. He alleged that the administration and BCCL management are trying to evict poor families under the guise of safety so that the mafia may be given free rein to extract coal. Dhanbad administration struggles to relocate 10,000 residents after toxic gas leak in Kenduadih Meanwhile, they have given BCCL management an ultimatum of two days; if no concrete solution is found, activities of all outsourcing companies in the vicinity will be halted. In between, a special team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached from Ranchi on Sunday and assessed the affected area. The 32-member team also measured the intensity of the gas leak. NDRF officials said that the situation is very dangerous and frightening. According to them, normally, if the amount of carbon monoxide gas in the air exceeds 50 ppm, the situation is considered dangerous. However, in Rajput Basti, it was found to be up to 1680 ppm. On Saturday night, seventy people went to the relief camp set up by BCCL and an outsourcing company for 500 affected people and had their food, but no one stayed there. Notably, the gas leak was first reported on Wednesday in Rajput Basti, where two women died and more than two dozen residents, mostly women and children, were admitted to BCCLs Kustore Regional Hospital and Central Hospital, Dhanbad. The impact of the gas is being felt in the Rajput Basti, Masjid Mohalla, and Officers Colony areas of Kenduadih, home to a population of approximately 10,000. The persistent stench and gas leakage have made life extremely difficult for the residents. Dhanbad DC orders detailed enquiry into toxic gas leak incident that killed two
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