PEDDAPALLI: Overman R. Naveen Kumar, who was stuck under coal debris after an accident in RG-2 coalmine of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) on Thursday afternoon, has been found dead. It was a great disappointment for members of a special team that struggled for 15 hours to rescue the overseer from the mine in Ramagundam area of Godavarikhani in Peddapalli district on Friday.
Naveen Kumar (26) was the only son of Rapolu Ramesh and Lakshmi of Kachipally village in Julapally mandal. He had completed his diploma in mining before joining Singareni in 2013. The death of Naveen shattered his childhood friend Kavitha. Parents of both Naveen and Kavitha, who had been in love, had solemnised their marriage just two months ago on August 5.
The tragic incident took place in Vakeelpally coalmine RG-2 of SCCL Coal debris eight feet in height and 12 metres in depth collapsed in the accident trapping Naveen underneath. After 15 hours of hard work, the rescue team reached the overman in the early hours of Friday only to find him dead.
General mazdoor Parupelly Vamshi, who narrowly escaped, said, “Overman sir Naveen asked me to call another worker. After informing that worker on phone that I was approaching him, Naveen sir was adjusting his telephone wire when within a fraction of a second the rooftop fell on him with a loud thud. The heavy wind that emerged from the thud blew me away and I fell at a distance. Naveen sir was, however, trapped under the coal debris,” a distraught Vamshi recounted.
Congress party Ramagundam Assembly segment in-charge M. S. Raj Thakur has accused SCCL management of negligence in not taking proper protective measures against the accumulated debris. “This is the third accident that has taken place in the last five months,” Raj Thakur pointed out, demanding an ex-gratia of Rs. 1 crore and job to a family member of the deceased.
Ramagundam MLA Korakanti Chander Patel, Singareni director Chandrasekhar, RG-2 general manager Suresh and other officials paid tributes and expressed their condolences to family members of Naveen Kumar.
