Kunustoria Area

{{OSM Location map Location The Kunustoria Area is located around The Kunustoria Area is bounded by the rural areas of Jamuria CD Block on the north, Kenda Area and Kajora Area on the east, Bankura district, across the Damodar on the south, and Satgram Area and Sripur Area on the west. The map alongside shows some of the collieries in the Area. However, as the collieries do not have individual pages, there are no links in the full screen map. Coal As per the Shodhganga website, collieries in the Kunustoria Area of Eastern Coalfields are: Amritnagar, Amrasota, Mahabir, North Searsole, Kunustoria, Banshra, Topsi, Belbaid, Parasea 6&7, Parasea, Banshra OCP, Parasea OCP and Narayankuri OCP. As per ECL website telephone numbers, operational collieries in the Kunustoria Area in 2018 are:Amritnagar Colliery, Amrasota Colliery, Bansra Colliery, Belbaid Colliery, Kunustoria Colliery, Mahabir OCP, North Searsole Colliery, Parasea Colliery, Parasea 6 & 7 Incline and Parasea OCP. See also – Kajora Area#Mining plan – it includes a major portion of Kunustoria Area See also – Satgram Area#Mining plan for Amritnagar and Mahabir collieries Image:ECL Area Map.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Operational Areas of ECL (Source:ENVIS Centre on Environmental Problems of Mining) ==Subsidence==

Traditionally many underground collieries have left a void after taking out the coal. As a result, almost all areas are facing subsidence. As per CMPDIL, there were 11 points of subsidence in the Kunustoria Area involving 399.21 hectares of land. ==Mahabir Colliery rescue operations==

In 1989, Mahabir underground colliery was working in Narainkuri seam through A and B shafts, about 86 m. The overlying Ningah seam (parting 22 m) had been worked and abandoned a long time back. It was full of water. "On 13.11.1989 at about 4 a.m., a heading in Narainkuri seam punctured into an abandoned shaft (Pit No.34, which was not shown on the plan of Narainkuri seam) through which water of Ningah seam started rushing into Narainkuri seam. Heavy flow was reported for about 45 minutes. There were 232 persons employed below ground in the night shift of whom 161, working in the vicinity of the shafts, could come out. 71 could not reach the shafts as the roadways leading to the shafts had got flooded. In a short time, both the shafts got flooded up to a height of 12 m above the pit-bottom. Fortunately, there was a telephone connection between the underground workings (where the miners were trapped) and the surface and it was learnt over this telephone that 65 miners had taken shelter in the rise part of the workings. Thus 6 miners could not be accounted for." Initially, pumping was resorted to but it did not prove to be an immediate success because much of the water was flowing back into the mine through surface cracks. At a later stage more fool proof pumping arrangements were made. Two exploration bore holes had been drilled in the past. One of the bore holes was activated with further boring and in about 24 hours from the time of flooding, torches, food, drinking water, medicines, etc. were lowered through this bore hole. A second bore hole of 200 mm (8") was bored and then widened in stages to 21.5" diameter. The top 11 m alluvium portion was further enlarged and lined with steel ducting to prevent it from caving in. ==Migrants==

Prior to the advent of coal mining, the entire region was a low-productive rice crop area in what was once a part of the Jungle Mahals. The ownership of land had passed on from local adivasis to agricultural castes before mining started. However, the Santhals and the Bauris, referred to by the colonial administrators as "traditional coal cutters of Raniganj" remained attached to their lost land and left the mines for agricultural related work, which also was more remunerative. It forced the mine-owners to bring in outside labour, mostly from Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. In time the migrants dominated the mining and industrial scenario. The pauperization and alienation of the adivasis have been major points of social concern. ==Transport==

The Andal-Jamuria-Sitarampur branch line passes through the Kunustoria Area. NH 19 (old number NH 2) and NH 14 (old number NH 60) pass through the Kunustoria Area. ==Healthcare==

Bansra Hospital of ECL functions with 50 beds. ==References==