One of India's largest and most productive coal fields is also home to some of the longest-burning fires in the world.
About 70 fires have sprouted up at eastern India's Jharia coal fields, which cover more than 100 square miles and have been mined since the late 1800s. The first recorded coal fired broke out in 1916, and fires have burned there ever since.
It is just one of the thousands of coal fires that are burning around the world — a costly and dangerous phenomenon.
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Dec COP 21 Summit made Many people to be cautious about this "Century" Old Continuous Fire but still no visible developments have been done.
Trains (Even premier trains like Rajdhani and Duronto) are running via these routes and nearly 50000 families are daily living above a "Suicidal" Land which can any time Erupt as a huge fire.
The Govt made a Committee called Jharia Development and Rehabilitation Authority (JDRA) in past which is still to give its report on "How this fire could be stopped and How the affecting People could be rehabilitated from here. But still no significant development.
JDRA has demanded ECR & SER to dismantle the
1. Dhanbad-Chandrapura,
2. Pathardih-Gonudih (Dhanbad),
3. Patardih-Adra and
4. Gomoh-Bhaga sections of the railway tracks immediately and that these tracks be shifted to non-coal bearing zones. (The routes demanded to be shut ar in map attached and marked as black).
But seems like Indian railways is waiting patiently for first some Fire Mishap to happen with any train, People be burnt down and , then they will wake up from sleep and act.