HEAVY flow of water has rendered thecountry's only underground salt mine atGumma in Himachal Pradesh unsafe.Some of the salt from the rocks gets dissolved due to the heavy flow of waterwhich, makes them loose and unstable.As a result, one of the mines has collapsed and another one faces the threat.The authorities have failed to take anyremedial measures. The salt mines arebeing managed by Hindustan SaltLimited since 1963. Before this, it wasunder the control of the Union ministryfor industries.
About 50 workers engaged in saltmining at Gumma complain that theyrisk their lives everyday while enteringthe tunnel. The unit is also running inloss as the demand for rock salt isconfined to Jammu and Kashmir,Himachal and parts of Punjab. Onlywith the setting up of a refinery canedible salt and caustic soda be produced. The move for establishing arefinery has been hanging in midair since the last 15 years. The factoryworkers have resorted to indefiniteagitation for their demand for arefinery.