On January 13, three individuals, including a woman, died after being trapped in a coal mine collapse at the Barira open-cast coal mine in Kulti near Asansol – one of West Bengal’s largest mining hubs – while they were illegally extracting coal. The deceased were identified as Gita Bauri (35) of Lachmanpur, Suresh Bauri (30) of Kanyapur, and Tipu Mallik (30) of Lalbazar village adjoining the mine area. Two others, Subhash Mallik and Gibinda Bauri from Barira village, also sustained critical injuries and have been admitted to the hospital. According to local residents, the death toll may be higher than official figures as typically, at least 15-20 people enter a pit for coal extraction at a time. There has been no clarity on how many people were part of this team.A tense atmosphere prevails over the entire locality since the incident. The police and BCCL authorities have launched an investigation into the matter. The mine, which is under the control of BCCL (Bharat Coking Coal Limited), has not seen any legitimate coal extraction for the last four years. However, coal mafia activities have continued unabated.There is a severe lack of employment in the area, and in order to survive, the poor people are forced to engage in dangerous work like illegal mining under the directions of the coal mafia. Tunnel of the Barira open-cast colliery, in Asansol district, West Bengal. Photo: Madhu Sudan ChatterjeeHowever, this is not an isolated incident. Last year alone, nearly 20 people lost their lives while illegally extracting coal at the Barira mine. Locals have alleged that the police administration and the mafias forcefully suppressed that death toll, given the deceased were migrants.People have alleged that the mafias are taking advantage of the dire poverty in the area and driving these poor people into a death trap. History of coal mining in Asansol and nearby areasRaniganj in Asansol and its adjacent areas are synonymous with the dawn of India’s industrial revolution. It was in 1774 when John Sumner and Suetonius Grant Heatly of the East India Company discovered coal at the Raniganj Coalfield. Since then, it is known as the cradle of coal mining in India. The coal mines were named after Queen Victoria of England and for a long time, two coal mines in the area – Lalbazar East and Baltoria West – were collectively known as Victoria Colliery. Large-scale commercial mining gained momentum in the mid 19th century with the arrival of railways. “Asansol, Raniganj, Kulti and surrounding areas are gradually transformed into a vital industrial hub, powered by the coal that fuelled the nation’s steam engines and factories,” says Sujit Bhattacharja, an All India leader of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)-affiliated Colliery Mazdur Sava of India (CMSI). Over the centuries, this region has remained the backbone of India’s energy sector. Rabindranath Tagore’s grandfather, Prince Dwarakanath Tagore initiated large-scale commercial coal mining in this area in 1836, through his venture Carr, Tagore and Company. The coal reserves found in this region consist entirely of high-quality coking coal. Following the nationalisation of coal mines in 1972, the Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) was assigned the responsibility of coal extraction in the Asansol and Raniganj regions. A majority of the coal mines in these areas are still operated under ECL’s control. However, the mines located in Kulti and the surrounding areas fall under the management of Bharat Coking coal limited (BCCL).“The collieries located under the Chanch Victoria area came under the management of BCCL. In 2003, BCCL conducted a comprehensive survey of these mines and subsequently formulated a mega project named the Greater Kalyaneswari Open Cast Project. The project proposed the inclusion of the Hazlapith, Chaptoriya, Damagoriya and Barira collieries survey findings, indicating that the area contains an estimated reserve of 679 million tonnes of coal. However, the project has not been implemented yet,” Shasti Kumar Karmakar, a retired BCCL’s officer tells The Wire.Tunnel of the Barira open-cast colliery, in Asansol district, West Bengal. Photo: Madhu Sudan ChatterjeeKarmakar adds that the coal mines located in the Chanch Victoria area (Chaptoriya, Damagoriya and Barira) have been collectively designated as the Damagoria Barira Open Cast Project (DBOP). Once upon a time, these mines were operated as inclined mines (used for deeper, steeper deposits, allowing heavy equipment access), but they were later converted into open-cast mines (cheaper but causes more surface environmental disruption).The Damagoria Open Cast Project falls within the jurisdiction of the Asansol Municipal Corporation in Paschim Bardhaman district. The project management office is located in Ward 66, while the Barira colliery is situated in Ward 17. The open-cast colliery is located approximately three kilometres from Kulti police station.Illegal mining continues unabatedDue to several legal complications related to land ownership, BCCL has officially suspended coal extraction at the site for the past four years. However, coal mafias have continued illegal extraction without interruption.Locals also alleged that to facilitate the operations of these mafias, BCCL gave a contract about a year ago to a private individual in Raniganj, under which only the overlying stones are being removed. This has made it easier for the coal mafias to extract coal through underground tunnels. At the same time, crores of rupees are allegedly being shown as expenditure by BCCL in the name of coal extraction. Several BCCL employees and local residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed these facts to The Wire.A visit to Barira colliery revealed this situation, as heaps of stones were found lying at the bottom of the mine. Illegal coal mining is allegedly being carried out deep inside the tunnels of the open-cast colliery, right under the noses of authorities. Locals claim that coal is being extracted entirely unlawfully with mining mafias employing poor residents of the area for years in exchange for meagre payments.According to the affected villagers, these activities continue with strong political backing. Residents have alleged that BCCL, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the state police are fully aware of the illegal operations but remain mere spectators. People from surrounding areas suspect a deeper nexus at play, claiming that at fixed intervals, large sums of money are systematically distributed across various levels. It is alleged that influential leaders from the ruling parties at the Union and state, along with selected officials within the administration regularly receive financial benefits from this illegal coal trade. Despite repeated complaints and widespread local awareness, no effective action has been taken so far, raising serious questions about accountability, governance and rule of law.Last year alone, nearly two dozen people lost their lives in two separate incidents while illegally mining inside the tunnels of the Barira colliery. According to residents of the adjoining Lalbazar and Azadnagar areas, the deceased workers had come from outside the region, which allegedly made it easier for the administration to suppress the incidents and prevent them from coming to light.However, in the latest incident, the situation was different. On January 13, three bodies were recovered from another tunnel of the same colliery. As the victims were local residents, the incident could not be concealed for long.This has brought the spotlight back onto the dangerous and illegal coal mining operations in the area. “The repeated loss of lives has intensified public anger and renewed demands for accountability as illegal mining continues to claim victims while those allegedly responsible remain untouched,” says Sujit Bhattacharya.How the coal mafia is exploiting people“Until about 10 years ago, the banks of the Barakar-Kalyaneswari belt were home to numerous small and medium scale factories. Firebrick, ceramic and various other types of units operated in this area. Nearly 4,000 people were employed in these factories, most of them residents of Kulti and nearby localities. Today, all of those factories have shut down and there are no alternative employment opportunities,” says Dipayan Maji, a resident of Lalbazar, speaking to The Wire.Sheikh Rabiul Alam, a youth from Hasanpura village, near Barira open-cast colliery, Sheikh Mukta Khan from Azad Nagar, and Basanta Bauri from Lalbazar village say that the Asansol municipal corporation earlier used to provide scavenging work in local wards from time to time. That work has now almost completely stopped. Barira village in Asansol district, West Bengal. Photo: Madhu Sudan ChatterjeeBasanta Bauri says that people are unable to endure the severe deprivation and taking advantage of this widespread financial distress, coal mafias in the area are exploiting the people to take on illegal coal mining jobs. They assure the workers of more money than they would earn from a full day of regular labour. He adds that the mafias lure them by saying that the police, BCCL authorities or CISF will not take any action, as everything has been “managed”. Just for the survival of their families, men and women in the area are risking their lives every day by engaging in this dangerous work.How is coal extracted from the tunnels?A youth from Chalbolpur village near Kulti, who is involved in coal extraction inside the tunnels, told The Wire on the condition of anonymity that every evening, multiple teams descend into the mines. “While one team carries pickaxes and shovels, along with high power torches for visibility, another team handles the gelatin explosives. Inside the tunnels, softer coal seams are cut using pickaxes, and in the harder sections, controlled blasts are carried out using gelatin. Once large chunks of coal break loose, they are further broken down into small pieces,” the youth explains.He further says that each team consists of at least 15 people. “To cut coal, they have to go 200-300 feet into the tunnel, where there is a risk of collapse. The work often continues even after a collapse. Once coal is cut, one team places it into baskets and hands it over to the next team and then to the next – this way, the coal is gradually extracted and brought to the surface.”“The work continues till the next day, when trucks or tractors sent by the mafias arrive to collect the coal. Those who extract the coal earn 400-500 rupees as share,” he says.He adds that they are forced to spend nearly 10 hours a day inside the tunnels under extremely painful and hazardous conditions. Almost every day, several workers are injured from flying coal fragments, leaving them bleeding. Many return with broken arms, legs and damaged eyes. Apart from deaths, many workers have been permanently disabled while doing this work.“Those who make us do this illegal work do not provide any money for medical treatment if we fall ill. If someone dies, families are paid Rs 2-3 lakh to ensure the incident does not come to light. The bodies are then cremated or buried by the mafia themselves,” he alleges.According to him, this illegal operation has been continuing for years in the coal mines of Asansol and surrounding areas.Significantly, women have also been increasingly drawn into this work over the past few years. Coal is being extracted in this manner from several locations, including Lachmanpur, Barira, Shobonpur and Futfutiya. Among these, Barira is the largest mining zone with multiple tunnels.BCCL has not carried out any coal mining operations in this area for the past four years. However, local residents allege that even though BCCL has stopped mining, the coal mafia has not halted extraction for a single day. Local residents also allege that over the past year, BCCL has further facilitated the coal mafia by awarding a contract in the name of coal mining. Residents claim that the removal of rocks has made access to the underground tunnels even easier for illegal miners. They allege that there is virtually no monitoring or surveillance by the CISF or BCCL at the site and that a man who goes by “Das” from Kulti has been running the operation by managing both the Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to ensure the illegal coal trade continues uninterrupted.Residents of Lalbazar, Azadnagar and the Kulti area said that every day 400-500 tractors and truck trolleys assemble in the front of the Barira open-cast colliery from 10 AM. One after the other, trucks carrying illegally mined coal then pass Kulti police station and exit the area. Despite witnessing this daily movement of illegal coal activities, Kulti police remain silent. People also claim that between Azad Nagar and Barira, coal is weighed at BCCL post ground using weighing machines before being transported out. Approximately, 12,000-13,000 metric tonnes of coal are extracted daily from the Barira colliery, through an illegal trade worth several crores of rupees. “BCCL has paid no heed to the entire operation,” the residents of Kulti allege.Speaking about the deaths at the Barira mine on January 13, residents of the Lalbazar area said they received the news earlier that morning. Large numbers of people gathered outside the mine following the accident. Police and BCCL officials recovered three bodies. However, locals believe that more bodies may still be trapped inside the tunnels.Santanu Chakroborty, the safety officer of the Barira open-cast colliery, tells The Wire, “We are currently conducting a full investigation into the matter. Beyond this, I am not in a position to make any further comment.” Coal extraction has been suspended since the incident. However, people say it will resume after some time, as has happened before. “People have died here earlier as well, but the coal mafia never stopped its operations,” they say. With no alternative employment, the poor and marginalised people in the region continue to take mining jobs, risking their lives for meagre daily wages.