ECL starts preventive mine sealing in Raniganj’s Khandra coal belt through surface cracks

A representative image of the file | Photo credit: Shrabana Chatterjee

Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) has started sealing the Khandra mine in the Raniganj coal belt due to surface cracks. This is a precautionary measure after surface cracks were reported in the area near Nikanth Temple, officials said on Monday (31 Aug 2026).

Cracks and subsidence were first observed on July 28 in an area where several unauthorized structures and illegal residents are located, according to ECL. The company said the structures limited surface backfilling work in the affected area, raising concerns about air intrusion into underground workings and the possibility of worsening self-heating conditions.

“The measures have been initiated purely as a preventive and proactive security intervention,” ECL said in a statement on Monday (August 31, 2026). They also said that this step was taken to protect their employees and the surrounding areas and they will continue to continuously monitor to assess the situation.

The authorities also added that there will be no interruption of existing water and electricity supply to residential areas due to precautionary measures.

“For now, the existing workforce will be suitably deployed either in another unit of the same mine or in neighboring mines, as per operational requirements,” the ECL statement also said.

ECL, however, did not say how long the coal mine would be closed, refuting some reports that said it may be closed for three months. The authorities added that the period for which the mine will be sealed has not been determined and will only be confirmed in accordance with “expert advice, technical assessment and established mine safety procedures”.

A constant struggle

Raniganj is one of the largest and oldest coal belts in India, having started operations much before independence, and many of the coal mines here have caused several dangerous and fatal accidents in the past.

In one of the latest accidents in the area in May 2026, one worker died and several others were injured after a landslide occurred at a coal mine in Jamuria, located in the Raniganj coal belt.

There have been several incidents of landslides in this coal belt, leading to cracks in houses, with many local residents abandoning their homes and fleeing to safer places. This has also turned many villages in the Raniganj coal belt into ghost towns.

Published – 01 Sep 2026 11:26 IST