Subsidence hits 25 Andal houses, locals block NH-2

Andal:Around 25 houses were damaged at Harishpur under Andal block on Sunday night during a subsidence triggered by rain . One house caved in while another belonging to a politician was partially damaged.

Angry residents blocked NH-2 near Kajora for more than an hour on Monday, demanding rehabilitation from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL).

Traffic movement was disrupted and police and RAF were deployed to bring the situation under control. Cops and a rescue team have been posted in the area to avoid any untoward incident.

Panic-stricken villagers have started leaving their homes with beds and other belongings. Villager Bhairab Chowdhury said, “We woke up to a thud around 2.30-3am on Sunday night. We rushed out and found large cracks on the houses. One house collapsed while a garage was badly damaged and three cars parked inside were damaged too.” Another villager, Tapan Paul, said: “We rushed to a local temple and struck the gong to awake the villagers, asking them to come out of their houses immediately.”

Most of the houses were damaged in Akure village, Ghosh Para and Kalpara. The first subsidence on July 16 had damaged the village road. It recurred on Sunday.

A senior ECL official said, “A meeting was held at SDM office, Durgapur with DCP ADCP, SDM Durgapur, BDO Andal, villager’s representatives and ex-magistrate disaster.”