Outfit alleges coal pilferage from BCCL mines, threatens stir

Dhanbad: Koylanchan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, a city-based outfit, has threatened to stage a series of protests against the management of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) if the latter failed to prevent alleged coal theft in the area.On Tuesday, members of the outfit staged a day-long dharna at Randhir Verma Chowk in Dhanbad. Alleging that coal pilferage was rampant in mines under the command areas of BCCL, the demonstrators further claimed that the PSU management was not taking effective steps to stop the illegal activity. They raised slogans against the BCCL management and demanded a CBI inquiry against its chairman-cum-managing director Manoj Agrawal.The agitators then submitted a memorandum in this regard to governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar through Dhanbad deputy commissioner Aditya Ranjan.“If coal theft could not be controlled despite a strong security network, then a fair and impartial investigation into the entire matter becomes necessary,” Sabir Ali, one of the protestors, claimed. While the BCCL management did not respond to the allegations, a spokesperson for the PSU, on condition of anonymity, said, “Regular crackdowns are being along with district administration to curb coal theft, which is also a problem for the company and state exchequer.”