Series of fires at Adasa coal yard puts WCL Saoner stock handling under scrutiny

Nagpur: A string of fires at the Adasa coal yard, which runs from the UG-2 section to the open-cast mine in the Saoner sub-area of Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), has triggered pointed questions about how coal stock is kept and how government property is guarded.

Coal Yard-1 is reported to have burst into flames on several occasions during the last three months. At Coal Yard-2, the allegation is that coal already scorched by earlier fires, along with old stock, was blended into fresh coal. The stock in question is put at roughly 2.5 lakh metric tonnes, and about 1 lakh metric tonnes of it is believed to be fire-affected. Neither these numbers nor the claim about old coal being mixed in has been confirmed by WCL or any official so far.

Four issues have been flagged as needing investigation.

The first is who answers for the loss. The fires are said to have cost crores of rupees and destroyed government property, and the officers responsible for it ought to be named.

The second is the handling of stock. An inquiry should establish the dates on which Coal Yard-1 caught fire, the extent of the damage each time, and what safety measures were put in place afterwards. The charge that old coal went into new stock at Coal Yard-2 should likewise be examined by an independent body.

The third is accountability. A neutral probe should look at what Adasa's management, and the officers and staff concerned, did or failed to do. If it finds lapses in safety, errors in records or breaches of rules, action should follow under the rules, and the real loss to government property should be worked out.

The fourth is whether the fires are a coincidence, the result of negligence, or part of something bigger. With doubts already hanging over the quality, grade and stock handling of the coal, the repeated fires have made people more suspicious. Even so, nothing has been confirmed about any conspiracy or any effort to destroy evidence. Rather than guesswork, what is needed is a fair investigation, an open report and clear responsibility.

The probe, it is argued, should cross-check the quantities of old and new coal against quality reports, weighment slips and the stock register. It should also state plainly whether the prescribed procedure for storing fire-hit coal apart and testing its quality was followed.

Local residents and consumers of coal are now asking that either the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) take up the matter and look into it without bias.