Nabanna seeks report on Borira coal mine accident from civil defence department
The Statesman | 14 January 2026
Nabanna, the administrative headquarters of the West Bengal government in Howrah, has sought a detailed report from the district civil defence and disaster management department in Asansol regarding the Borira coal mine accident in the Damagoria coal-bearing area.
The accident occurred in the central public sector undertaking (CPSU) Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) area under the jurisdiction of Kulti police station, in which three illegal coal miners, including a woman, were killed and two others sustained serious injuries.
It is learnt that Nabanna may take stringent measures against illegal coal mining ahead of the next Assembly elections in the state, after receiving the detailed inquiry report on the Borira incident. The BCCL sources said that despite fencing and wire barricades, illegal coal miners continue to trespass into the area. Due to the difficult terrain, it has also been challenging to deploy heavy machinery to bulldoze the illegal pits. However, no official statement was available at the time of filing this report.
The issue of illegal coal mining took a major turn recently after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the premises of I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain in connection with the coal theft case in Eastern Coalfields Limited’s (ECL) leasehold area dating back to November 2020.
The incident triggered a nationwide political stir, with both sides approaching the High Court and the Supreme Court.
However, it appears that the Centre-state confrontation over illegal coal mining is likely to intensify further following Tuesday’s major accident at Borira Open Cast Project (OCP) in Kulti, under the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.
Dr Ajoy Poddar, local MLA and BJP leader, visited the accident site and blamed the state government and the police for allowing illegal coal mining to flourish in the area.
Former Kulti MLA and TMC leader Ujjwal Chatterjee, however, blamed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). “They have been entrusted with protecting coal in the area, and the coal-bearing land belongs to the central government. Therefore, both the Union coal ministry and the home ministry are equally responsible for such incidents,” he alleged.
Gita Bauri, Suresh Bauri and Tilu Bauri were killed in the accident, while Subhash Mallick and Govinda Bauri were admitted to Asansol District Hospital in critical condition by local residents.
Residents claimed that poor villagers are being forced into this life-threatening occupation to earn a livelihood. They reportedly earn between Rs 300 and Rs 500 a day, while the extracted coal is allegedly sold by coal mafias to coke factories at much higher prices.