Coal workers in battle for frontline status amid Covid-19 pandemic

Coal India says it made arrangements for sufficient beds, unions dispute claim

In April, S Srivastava, an office bearer of the Dhanbad Colliery Karamachari Sangh, wrote to Bharat Coking Coal (BCCL) to declare mine workers as frontline staff and start their vaccination immediately.

Coal miners work in proximity to each other and the chances of them spreading Covid is high.

By April-end, BCCL parent Coal India (CIL) started vaccinating its employees but many felt it was already too late. CIL said deaths reported from April 1 to May 27 of 2021 due to Covid was 360. Workers and trade unions in the mining states put the figure at close to 500 employees,