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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Cave-ins under rights panel lens

Cave-ins under rights panel lens

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published Published on Feb 8, 2012   modified Modified on Feb 8, 2012
-The Telegraph
 
A routine road trip from Ranchi to Dhanbad was enough for an aghast senior functionary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to pull up Jharkhand for illegal mining and exploitation of tribals at the hands of the coal mafia.

A source told The Telegraph that NHRC secretary-general Rajiv Sharma had visited the state in January.

“On a drive from Ranchi to Dhanbad, he saw tribal children pushing coal-laden cycles uphill. It was an inhuman sight. Sharma found that villagers had complained about the mafia that allegedly terrorised young boys and recruited them as coal bearers,” said the official not wishing to be named.

The apex human rights body has taken suo motu cognisance of Sharma’s report which states: “Despite the plight of these tribals, who are virtually living a sub-human existence, no concrete action has been taken to control either the coal mafia or bring illegal trade in the ambit of legal procurement.”

Yesterday, the commission gave a four-week deadline to Jharkhand’s chief secretary S.K. Choudhary to submit a detailed report on “economic hardships of tribals, illegal coal mining and trading”.

Choudhary, in his report, will explain why residents virtually live “a sub-human existence in Dhanbad district, which is yet to witness effective action for rehabilitation of people who lost their houses in underground coal fires.”

The source added: “The director-general of mines safety in Dhanbad Satish Puri told him (Sharma) that many die due to roof cave-ins while working inside rat holes or illegal mines, which go unreported due to local pressure.”

Based on information from Dhanbad’s deputy commissioner Sunil Kumar Burnwal, the NHRC pointed out manpower crunch to implement social programmes.

Sharma’s report further stated: “On account of tardy provisions of services, most programmes aimed at improving the quality of life of people are failing to provide due benefits. Abject poverty is one of the reasons for tribals falling prey to inducement by Naxalites.”

Sharma who left for New Delhi on January 21— the day of the Maoist ambush in Garhwa that killed 13 policemen — obviously had the incident fresh on his mind when he typed his report.

The state has also been rapped for “very tardy” rehabilitation measures for people endangered by underground coal fires.

“The purpose of this notice is to make the state frame a blueprint for urgent action in this regard,” said the source.

However, Jharkhand’s inspector-general (human rights) M.S. Bhatia diluted the charges.

Bhatia said he could not recall any case of mines caving in, at least in the recent past, though he admitted it was a constant hazard. While conceding that deprivation feeds Naxalism, he was quick to clarify that in Dhanbad district, only two police station areas had rebel presence.


The Telegraph, 8 February, 2012, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120208/jsp/frontpage/story_15106996.jsp


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