Around the [Raniganj ]coalfields, there are deep gorges where the land has collapsed...Locals live in fear that someday, the entire town with its 35,000 plus population could cave in...Mining protocol demands underground cavities be filled with sand, but...Coal India Limited (CIL) that owns the subsidiary Eastern Coalfields Limited, which, in turn, owns the mines in Raniganj, is aware but has ignored the crisis for long...There are no official records, but locals vouch that hundreds have died in illegal mining mishaps, only to have their families threatened into silence by the coal mafia.