Meghalaya Asked to File Report on Mine Mishap

The Gauhati High Court has sought a report from the Meghalaya government on the recent mine mishap which claimed lives of 15 miners and also on the steps taken to ensure safety of miners in the state.

A PIL on the coal mishap was registered following a note from the Registrar of the Shillong bench of the High Court who presented newspaper reports to the court on the incident.

Accepting the PIL on the mishap, the Shillong bench of the court in a directive on July 31 asked the state government to submit the report in the form of an affidavit by August 28.

Observing that the death of 15 miners once again highlighted the depressing conditions in which they worked, the court said, "It is not exactly known as to what actions have been taken by the state government to improve the working conditions and safety of coal miners."

The court also asked the state government to present a report on the steps taken to inquire into the circumstances which led to the tragedy. The report will have to mention the identity of the miners who are feared dead and whether any ex-gratia payment was made to their families.

The court underlined the importance of framing a mining policy for the state and observed that human life is too precious.

It noted that the rescue operations, conducted by the state police and other organizations hitherto, appeared to be too little, too late as none of those 15 miners were rescued alive.

At least 15 miners were trapped in a rat-hole coal pit in remote South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya in the first week of July prompting the National Disaster and Rescue Force personnel to rush to the site in a late rescue mission which did not yield any result.

Mineral-rich Meghalaya, at present, does not have a mining policy in place and as such coal and other minerals are being extracted by mine owners without having any mechanism to check on the welfare and safety of miners.

Villages located in the coal belt areas in the state are actually sitting on a network of rat-hole trenches underneath dug-outs across a hundred feet below the surface of the earth.

While a mining policy is lying with the government, the government had said it would come up with an executive order taking safety and welfare of miners.

The Geological Survey of India has estimated that Meghalaya has around 460 Million Tonnes of high grade sub-bituminous coal with less ash content compared to the coal found in any other parts of the country.