Transfer plea to stop theft

Jamuria, 1 Sep:  A headmaster has asked the Burdwan administration to either close his school or transfer him if the authorities can’t stop the illegal coal mining around the institution.

Sachchidananda Singh wrote to the additional district magistrate (ADM) of Asansol and the deputy inspector-general of police on Friday after earlier requests to officials to stop the racket allegedly fell on deaf ears. His latest letter seems to have jolted the administration out of its stupor.

ADM Biswajit Dutta said on Monday that he had told the police to stop the illegal mining around Bakshimulia High School in Jamuria and fill up the coal pits dug by the thieves with mud and sand.

Bikash Dutta, the officer in charge (OC) of Jamuria police station, said: “We will soon fill up the pits. We will also step up patrolling in the area.”

The Telegraph had on July 8 reported how the illegal pits around the school had triggered fears of subsidence among the students and teachers.

“The school building trembles whenever the coal thieves burst explosives. It frightens the students,” Singh said.

“I had requested the subdivisional officer (SDO), the ADM and the police to stop the illegal mining but nothing was done. Now the situation has become intolerable. It is impossible for me to run a school near which such criminal activities are taking place.”

After a complaint from Singh in July, SDO Sandip Dutta had sought a report from the then OC of Jamuria police station, Saikat Roy. But Roy had denied the existence of illegal mining near the school. Roy was transferred last month to Kanksa near Durgapur.

The residents of Bakshimulia village have formed a committee to save the school and stop illegal mining in the neighbourhood. “The school and our village will cave in anytime if the illegal mining goes on,” said Ramkrishna Biswas, 45, of Bakshimulia.

“The police will not do anything. Now we will fill up the pits ourselves.”


Abhijeet Chatterjee, The Telegraph