New Delhi: Some family members of the miners who died at an illegally run rat hole mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district this past December have written to the local administration saying they have no objection if the operation to retrieve the bodies is called off.
The rescue operation that involved Indian Navy, National Disaster Relief Force, the State Disaster Relief Force and Odisha Fire Services personnel at different points, has been continuing since December 13. At least 16 to 17 miners were caught in a mine over 300 feet deep in the district’s Ksan village.
The Supreme Court, in response to a petition seeking speedy rescue of the trapped miners, has been monitoring the operation. So far, two of the victims’ bodies have been fished out of the deep pits filled with water believed to be from a nearby river.
Only a team comprising of NDRF and SDRF is presently at the site conducting the operation, which involves pumping out hundreds of litres of water daily from the shafts with the help of high speed pumps. A team from Coal India Limited is also at the site. According to the local administration, heavy rain in the area since this past week is “adversely affecting” the operation.
Credit: Special arrangement
In January, though the Meghalaya government hinted at its willingness to call of the operation, the SC asked it to continue. However, in mid-March, the apex court sought to know whether the family members of the victims would like the operation to continue as the bodies must have been ‘decomposed’ by now and would make it difficult for the rescuers to retrieve them from the pit.
On April 16, state revenue and disaster management minister Kyrmen Sylla told local reporters that the Supreme Court would be informed about the letter received from the victims’ families. He said some more families are likely to send similar letters to the deputy commissioner. Hours later, chief minister Conrad Sangma said the state government would appeal to the SC to call off the operation.
The December 13 accident that caught the attention of the national media brought to light illegal mining in the East Jaintia Hills district in spite of a ban by the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court. Huge heaps of freshly mined coal was sighted at Khrielihat, the district headquarters town during a recent visit by The Wire. Locals have alleged the connivance of a section of state administration and politicians with a powerful local coal owners’ lobby in the illegal activity.
Latest reports said since trucks carrying coal out of the state illegally are being monitored closely by activists and local media, an alternate route from the district is being used through Silchar, the adjoining town of Assam. On April 11, the NGT recommended adopting an electronic system to regulate the movement of trucks carrying coal illegally.