Dhanbad SSP chairs meet on coal smuggling, mining
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dhanbad, HP Janardhanan, on Wednesday, chaired a high-level meeting of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) administration, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Dhanbad Police, during which various issues related to coal smuggling, illegal mining, and violence at coal dump sites were discussed, officials said.
The meeting also witnessed the participation of Vinay Kajla, DIG CISF; Sanjay Kumar Singh, Director (Technical) BCCL; and general managers of all 12 areas of BCCL, besides the private excavators working on behalf of BCCL for coal excavation and transport.
Talking to the media after the meeting, he said, “We held discussions on a wide range of issues about coal production, illegal mining, coal smuggling, coal transport, and the hiring of anti-social elements by private excavators working on behalf of BCCL for coal production.”
“We resolved to ensure better coordination between all stakeholders to control cases of coal theft and violence at coal dump sites by jointly identifying the troublemakers and sharing other information,” said Janardhanan.
The headquarters-level meeting held on Wednesday will be followed by police station-level meetings during which the colliery officers of BCCL will coordinate with the CISF and local police stations to jointly address the issue of coal smuggling, illegal mining, and violence at coal loading sites, which often create situations where law and order are affected, officials said.
When asked by the media whether BCCL has requested patrolling in sensitive colliery areas, Janardhanan said, “Though such a demand has been made, which we are looking into, the police have the responsibility of carrying out patrolling in the entire Dhanbad, and the patrolling of BCCL areas can be carried out by CISF, which is dedicated to the security of BCCL only.”
“The recent incidents of violence prompted the requirement for a joint meeting as it was noticed that it was the handiwork of a handful of people, and we are in the process of identifying such people who are habitual troublemakers, and action would be taken against them,” added the SSP.