The charred bodies have been mined out. The day-2 at Bhatdih, Jagda, Barora, Madhuban, Chandanvyari and Bhurangia — settlements near the 17th incline— was a day of mass cremation.

After tension and tears, the concern now is of compensation and livelihood. At Purana Dhaura, a small village comprising 90 employees of the Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and their families, villagers are still trying to recover. “We have lost eight of our colleagues,” said Suresh Kumar Singh, a resident.

As Bajrang’s charred body was taken away for the last rites, his wife Munni rushed after the body, in disbelief. She was married to Bajrang a year ago. And now she is a widow. Munni’s fate is now linked with the same company, where her husband worked. She has been offered a job. In the same village, that now has more orphans than ever, Pushpa’s three-year old girl doesn’t know when will Osman, her father, return home.

The miners’ families that have voted many politicians to power without asking even for a ration-card in return, haven’t accepted this tragedy “as just another incident”.

While the Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiary BCCL — which takes care of the Nagdah Colliery, the site of the accident — maintain that mining is just a consistent tussle between “man and nature” and most that can be done is have adequate safety measures in place, mine labourers repeatedly allege that such a mishap has occurred due to mismanagement by a project officer.

“As we know, a former senior manager, in-charge of the 17th incline, had told the company that the mine contains methane reserves and it is dangerous to send in workers. This was told five years ago. Work was stopped in the mine. But once the opposing manger retired, the project manager initiated the project, again,” said M. Ibrar, a local resident. BCCL, however, is silent over the issue, saying that if anyone is found guilty, he will surely be brought to book.

... contd.