Dhanbad: Police have registered a case against Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) CMD Manoj Kumar Agrawal and other officials over alleged negligence in connection with the land subsidence at Chhatabad in Katras, which destroyed 24 houses on Aug 6 and left hundreds homeless.Katras police station officer in-charge Praveen Kumar said the case was registered following a written complaint by Chhatabad resident Anwar Ali. “Police have initiated an investigation into the allegations,” he said.The complaint alleges that BCCL failed to introduce adequate safety measures despite repeated appeals from residents after four houses were damaged in a subsidence incident on July 6.Residents had sought controlled, low-intensity blasting, a detailed survey of the vulnerable area and its declaration as a danger zone. They had also urged the company to take concrete steps to protect families living there.Ali alleged that no effective restrictions were imposed on blasting operations and that high-intensity, uncontrolled blasting in Salampur Area-3 contributed to the Aug 6 subsidence.Besides the CMD, the complaint names the general manager of Area-3 and other employees, accusing them of negligence.BCCL public information officer Abhishek Mishra said the management would respond after receiving written communication from the authorities.
