Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Aug 19 (PTI) People residing in the danger zones of Jharia mines fire in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district will be shifted to safer places in groups on a weekly basis, an official said on Saturday.

Dhanbad administration has decided to shift 10 to 15 families from the danger zones every week.

Also Read | Supreme Court Allows Rape Survivor To Terminate Over 27-Week Pregnancy, Says Conception in Cases of Sexual Assault Is Traumatic.

Dhanbad deputy commissioner Barun Ranja, who is also the managing director Jharia Rehabilitation Development Authority (JRDA), directed the officials to prepare an action plan so that residents of Jharia fire zones could be shifted to safer places on a weekly basis.

"Issue notices to families who refuse to move to safer places. Also, ensure that no new construction or encroachment takes place in danger zones once they are shifted," Ranja directed officials at a review meeting of JRDA.

Also Read | Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Writes to FM Nirmala Sitharaman Seeking Release of Special Grants and State-Specific Grants As Per 15th Finance Commission.

The fire zones turn dangerous during monsoon. On August 14 night, a father and his two sons fell in a five-metre-deep pit following subsidence in fire-affected Jogta-11 in Sizua area of the district. They were, however, rescued by neighbours.

According to a 2019 survey, 1.04 lakh families are living in Jharia mines fire zones in which 32,064 are legal title holders (LTH), while 72,882 families are residing illegally on the land of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) colliery, an official said.

Under the Jharia Master Plan of the central government, residents of the fire zones should have been shifted to safe places by August 2021, but so far only 2,687 families could have been rehabilitated due to lack of quarters.

The DC said of the 6,352 quarters built at Belagaria Township to rehabilitate residents of Jharia fire zone areas, 2, 687 families of the most dangerous areas have been shifted so far.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)