The Directorate General of Mine Safety (DGMS) and the Ramagundam Commissionerate of Police have launched parallel inquiries into the first-of-its-kind explosion in an open cast mine of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited, which claimed four lives and injured three others, at OCP-1 in Ramagundam-3 division on Tuesday.
The DGMS officials and the police are probing separately into the reasons for the explosion, which includes the high temperature, poor quality of explosives, cellular phone radiation and negligence of the supervisory staff while using the explosives by a private contract to remove over burden earthwork for the expansion of the open cast mine.
In order to remove the boulders as part of the blasting process, the authorities had planned to drill at least 80 holes for the day on Tuesday. They could drill only 33 holes, two to two-and-a-half metres deep, and filling them with hot slurry and fixing detonators. The explosive slurry got ignited in only one hole, maybe due to some spark or maybe because of hot temperature in the hole, sources opined.
Luckily a major mishap was averted as the slurry (gelatine) carrying vehicle and other holes did not explode due to ignition, they said and added that it would have been a major disaster if the explosives in all the holes had exploded along with the slurry vehicle. It is also being alleged that the officials have not used thermometers to check the temperature in the holes to avoid such casualties.
Samples being analysed
The investigation teams have sent samples of detonators and explosives for analysis. The police suspect that the detonators were not of good quality and are collecting scientific evidence. They said that the explosives also have a shelf life and were collecting evidence to prove it.
Suspecting that the radiation from working of a cellphone in the vicinity might have triggered the explosion, the police have seized mobile phones of those who were working at the explosion site. They were also probing the role of the officials in checking the use of slurry and other explosives during the blasting.
Following a complaint lodged by the bereaved family members and trade union leaders, the Ramagiri police have registered a criminal case against the RG-3 General Manager, project officer, project manager, deputy manager, site incharge, representative of a private contractor under IPC sections 304 (A) 286, and Explosive Substances Act.
