Production stopped at CCL’s Jharkhand mine on night shift after elephants killed four: Official

Ramgarh (Jharkhand), Dec 18 (PTI) The Central Coalfield Limited (CCL) has decided to stop production activity during night shift at a mine in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district on safety grounds, after four people were trampled to death by elephants, an official said on Thursday.

A herd of wild elephants has been roaming around the Sarubera project mine and residential colonies in Kuju area for the past few days.

The CCL, a subsidiary of the Coal India Limited, has taken the decision a day after jumbos killed four people in the evening and night of Tuesday near a road connecting the mine, the official said.

Those killed included a 32-year-old CCL security guard, a commuter and two elderly women, triggering fear in the area.

The forest department also sounded an alert, advising people to take precautionary measures to stay safe especially during the night.

CCL'S Kuju area General Manager R K Sinha on Thursday said that coal production on the night shift at Sarubera project mines has been stopped for safety of miners and officials.

“We are reviewing the situation with consultation of the state authorities. Till then, there would be no mining activity in Sarubera project. We have also issued an advisory for CCL employees and residents of the colony to avoid roaming during night hours,” Sinha said.

Ramgarh Divisional Forest Officer Nitish Kumar said driving away wild elephants from one district to another district is not a solution to the problem.

Precautionary measures are necessary as the herd has been moving in populated areas in search of food, he said.

Kumar said that people should avoid clicking photos or recording videos for social media as those activities irk elephants. PTI CORR BS NN