Monday, September 10, 2007

Mines In Troubled Waters

The Saunda mine disaster in Hazaribagh leads the question of mining safety in our country to crop up yet again. In a thickly populated country like India where it is largely undesirable to go in for complete mechanisation of mines, safety first should be the catchline for all concerned with mining. But it seems that this thumb rule is sought to be thrown out of the windows in India. A blast inside a portion of a mine where the outer portion of the roof forms the bed of a waterbody will, in all probality, cause the roof to cave in, allowing water to gush in and fatally trap those inside. Those at the helm of affairs concerning mining in the country should be stricter in their vigilance over how basic mining principles are adhered to in the country. Otherwise such disasters would only multiply.

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