Read the passage and answer the following questions:-
54 miners at the Bhatdih colliery of Nagada were trapped Wednesday night following a blast due to the accumulation of gases. It was about 8 p.m. when the explosion, caused by the pressure due to the accumulation of methane and carbon monoxide, shook the colliery belonging to the Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL). The intensity was so high that a one-tonne trolley in inclination number 17 was thrown out. Four rescue teams have been constituted. But they don't have adequate number of oxygen masks to enter the deep mine where the incident occurred. Most of the trapped miners are between the ages of 20 and 30. Family members and union leaders have blamed the BCCL management for the incident. This is one of the BCCL's poisonous mines. No safety measures have been adopted by the management. Water sprinkling facilities and gas testing machines should be available in the colliery. But no such arrangements have been made here, said a union member.
Apart from accidents what are the other occupational hazards that the miners face?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Tuberculosis and Silicosis
Option (2) Tuberculosis and Silicosis — Correct. Workers in underground mines face flooding, fire, the collapse of roofs and sides, the emission of gases and ventilation failures. Breathing the air of such mines day after day, many workers develop breathing problems and diseases like tuberculosis and silicosis. Silicosis is a disease of the lungs caused by breathing in the fine dust of stone (silica).
Note: The passage is Box 5.6, ‘Time running out for 54 trapped miners in Jharkhand’ (IANS, September 7, 2006), of the chapter ‘Change and Development in Industrial Society’ in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023. This box has been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26), though the chapter and its lines on the dangers of work in mines are still there.
NCERT (2025-26): “5.5 Working Conditions … Workers in underground mines face very dangerous conditions, due to flooding, fire, the collapse of roofs and sides, the emission of gases and ventilation failures. Many workers develop breathing problems and diseases like tuberculosis and silicosis. Those working in overground mines have to work in both hot sun and rain, and face injuries due to mine blasting, falling objects, etc. The rate of mining accidents in India is very high compared to other countries.” |