Tinsukia rights body seeks probe into cracks reported in Ledo’s Jharna Basti

The Tinsukia District Committee of the International Human Rights Council (IHRC) has expressed concern over cracks reported at several locations in Jharna Basti of Ledo and called for a scientific assessment of the situation.

The area falls under the Margherita Assembly constituency and is located in a region where coal mining activities are carried out.

According to the IHRC, cracks have appeared in the ground at different locations, raising concerns among local residents about the safety of houses and property. The organisation said some residents were living amid uncertainty over the condition of the land.

The rights body has called for an independent technical investigation to determine whether there is any connection between the reported cracks and nearby coal mining or related activities.

IHRC Tinsukia district general secretary L Ratan Singh said the safety of residents should be the priority and urged the administration to assess the stability of the land in areas located near or below mining zones.

The organisation has also sought geological and environmental surveys in vulnerable residential areas and said residents facing any immediate risk should be shifted to safer locations, if necessary.

The IHRC further urged the administration and mining authorities to organise a public hearing involving local residents so that their concerns and grievances can be formally recorded.

It said appropriate action should be taken if an official investigation establishes that any illegal, irregular or unsafe mining activity contributed to the reported damage.

The organisation stressed that the reported cracks should be assessed as a matter of public safety and not only as a mining-related issue, particularly given the presence of residential settlements in the area.

The IHRC appealed to the Margherita Co-District administration and other concerned authorities to take preventive measures before the situation worsens.

The organisation's claims regarding the cause of the cracks have not been independently established. A technical assessment would be required to determine whether mining activities are responsible for the reported ground movement.