Hazaribagh, August 10: The 15-metre wide crater along NH 33 in Ramgarh district, caused by raging underground fire, deepened by 500 metres today as Jharkhand government sought assistance of central coal ministry to re-settle 48 families residing in the area.
A team from Dhanbad-based Central Institute for Mineral fuel Research reached the spot located between Kuju and Loha Gate stretch and started drilling from a distance to examine nature of the gas emanating from the crater, official sources said.
The district administration’s timely suspension of traffic on Friday after flames leapt about 300 feet averted a major disaster. Yesterday, a portion of the stretch caved-in, forcing hundreds of stranded vehicles to take a long detour to reach to their destination.
Jharkhand Governor K Sankaranarayan yesterday shot off a letter to Union minister of state for Coal Sriprakash Jaiswal for resettlement of all the 48 families residing in the danger zone.
The letter also mentioned the district administration had on July 16 intimated to the Central Coalfields Limited about the worsening situation.
The danger zone, which has been sealed amid deployment of police force, comes under the command area of the CCL.
—Agencies