Team News Riveting
Raipur, August 2
A thick security blanket would be thrown open in the mega projects of the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a flagship arm of the state-run Coal India Limited (CIL).
The major mines of the largest coal producing company would now be under the cover of paramilitary forces. The company has decided to deploy Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to strengthen its security apparatus.
SECL spokesperson said that the paramilitary forces would be deployed in mega projects including Dipka, Gevra, and Kusmunda mines located in Korba district of Chhattisgarh. The mines had been bestowing record output while heavy machinery had been deployed for operations. The three mines account for about 22 to 25 per cent of CIL’s total output.
The SECL had inked an agreement with the TSR for deploying a battalion in its mines. The elite counter insurgency troop, TSR was raised in 1984 and presently has 12 battalions of which nine are India Reserve (IR). One IR battalion comprising 1007 troopers would man the SECL mines. TSR has been deployed in the establishment of oil major ONGC in Tripura and Assam.
The spokesperson said about 300 jawans would be deployed in Kusmunda, the biggest mine with a capacity of over 50 million tonne per annum. An advance team had already been deployed. Besides, 70 TSR troopers would be deployed in Manikpur and 30 in Saraipali.
The CISF has been fully responsible for the security in the Dipka and Gevra mines of the company. Once the TSR battalion was fully deployed, the CISF personnel from Gare-Pelma II and III mines and other areas would be relieved and deployed in the Dipka and Gevra area.
In the Kusmunda area, additional 32 departmental security personnel have been made available while 80 home guards personnel are already on duty. CISF has been deployed at all the barriers in the Kusmunda area. Quick Action Force (QRT) has been set by CISF that will monitor the security arrangement round the clock to prevent any untoward incident.
The SECL management has also been getting continuous support from the Chhattisgarh police.
