Four killed in SCCL mine mishap

Roof of underground mine collapses

November 10, 2021 08:33 pm | Updated 08:33 pm IST - MANCHERIAL

Four coal miners were killed when a portion of the roof of the SRP 3 & 3A incline underground mine of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) collapsed on them in Srirampur area in Mancherial district on Wednesday.

The incident occurred when the miners were engaged in work related to roof stitch at about 15 metres from the junction inside the underground mine after the roof suddenly caved in at 10.30 am, causing fatal injuries, sources said.

The four deceased miners were identified as B Laxmaiah, 60, timberman, V Krishna Reddy, 57, timberman, G Satyanarayanaraju, 32, Badli worker and R Chandrasekhar, 32, Badli worker.

They met with a tragic end during the first shift in less than two hours after venturing into the underground mine.

The SCCL’s mines rescue teams rushed to the spot from Ramagundam and Mandamarri and extricated the four bodies of the four deceased miners after a strenuous rescue effort that lasted for more than four hours.

The incident triggered tension at the underground mine as members of various trade unions affiliated to the CITU, the AITUC and the BMS flocked to the mine and staged a protest demanding ₹1 crore ex-gratia each to the bereaved families of the four deceased workers, sources added.

In a statement, the SCCL Chairman and Managing Director N Sridhar expressed shock and profound grief over the death of four coal miners in the roof collapse incident.

He directed the SCCL officials concerned to immediately conduct a thorough probe into the incident and submit a detailed report.

He said matching grant, gratuity and other amounts of around Rs 70 lakh to Rs one crore will be quickly disbursed on behalf of the company to each bereaved family of the four deceased miners.

He further added that one eligible member from each bereaved family will be immediately provided job in the area of their choice in the company.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement the BMS national leader K Lakshma Reddy and the Singareni Coal Mines Karmik Sangh (SCMKS) general secretary P Madhav Naik demanded that the SCCL management should own up responsibility for the death of four coal miners in the roof collapse incident.

They alleged that the incident occurred due to laxity in implementation of safety precautions in the SCCL coal mines.

They pointed out that as many as ten workers were killed in four separate mine mishaps in the SCCL coal mines this year.

They wanted the government to take stringent action against the company officials concerned for the “safety lapses” and strengthen the safety measures in all the opencast and underground coal mines of the SCCL to prevent recurrence of mishaps.

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