Probe ordered into Talcher land subsidence incidents

Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal Friday ordered a probe into the incidents of land subsidence reported from two houses in Talcher town in Odisha.

Angry residents of Talcher in Odisha's Angul district on Thursday had observed a 12-hour bandh over the issue.

Goyal ordered a fact finding inquiry by a team of experts following a request from Union Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

In a letter, Pradhan urged Goyal to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident in the coal mining area of Talcher town to dispel the doubts of the people.

A detailed investigation would be jointly conducted by a team of experts from Director General Mines Safety (DGMS), Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL) and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), official sources said.

"Shri @dpradhanbjp conveyed his concerns about reports of sudden caving in of land in Talcher, Odisha, affecting some residential houses. Ordered a fact finding enquiry by team of experts from DGMS, CMPDIL & MCL on the incident urgently. Interests of local community paramount," Goyal said in a Twitter post.

Sources said that a portion of land measuring about 5 feet in length and 6 feet in width suddenly caved in inside the house of one Shanti Bai and later stretched to her neighbours house on Wednesday.

People from the nearby areas gathered to the spot as the news spread. The locals blamed the management of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) for the incident and alleged that improper filling of sand in empty spaces of the coal mines was the reason behind the incidents.

The locals also alleged that the MCL had not filled the now defunct Champapasi underground coal mine with sand due to which the crater had developed.