Dhanbad: Panic gripped Chhatabad in Katras on Friday after a land subsidence damaged around two dozen houses, reducing nearly a dozen of them to rubble and forcing several families to flee.At least six people were injured in the incident. A woman and a child, reported to be in critical condition, were admitted to a nearby hospital.The cave-in occurred just three days after a similar incident at Govindpur in the Katras region, where more than half a dozen houses collapsed and household belongings were swallowed by the ground. The back-to-back incidents during the monsoon have renewed safety concerns in the coal-mining belt and triggered anger among residents over the alleged lack of preventive measures in subsidence-prone areas.Chhatabad resident Mohammad Anwar blamed corruption and unchecked illegal coal extraction for the recurring cave-ins. He alleged that neither BCCL management nor the district administration had taken effective steps to protect vulnerable families despite the growing risk.“With the rainy season underway, we have nowhere to go,” Anwar said.Another resident, Mohammad Gulam, demanded immediate relief, compensation and permanent housing for the affected families. He warned that Chhatabad residents would launch a large-scale protest against BCCL management if rehabilitation measures were delayed.Govindpur residents said relocation to the Belgaria Rehabilitation Township was not a practical option because it would take them away from their workplaces, schools and social networks. They demanded that BCCL provide accommodation in a nearby safe area so they could continue their livelihoods without disruption.Kaushalya Devi, whose husband works for BCCL in the Katras region, said moving to Belgaria would create serious commuting difficulties.“We do not want to move to Belgaria Township. BCCL should provide us with safe housing in the surrounding area so that we can continue our lives and my husband can easily reach his workplace,” she said.Following Friday’s cave-in BCCL officials did not respond to the specific allegations but said assistance permissible under existing relief and rehabilitation schemes would be extended to the affected families. Residents, however, continued to demand a permanent solution to land-subsidence risks in the mining region.
Around two dozen houses were damaged in the cave-in
