By HH Mohrmen
The incident which occurred on Thursday last where thirteen miners were trapped in the rat hole mine at an area known as Ksan near Leteiñ under Saipung Block of East Jaiñtia Hills validated the stand made by many that illegal coal mining is prevalent in the state. And of course this is not the first time that major accidents have happened in coal mines. A similar accident occurred over six years ago, in which 15 coal miners went missing after a coal mine accident on July 6, 2012, at Nengkol in South Garo hills district.
It is also an open secret that illegal coal mining occurs everywhere in the state, but fortunately or unfortunately, only East Jaiñtia Hills find mention in media reports which appear across media platforms almost every day. The truth is that even if there is no report of illegal coal mining activities and transport of the same from the other coal mining areas of the state it does not mean that mining and transportation of coal does not happen in the area. Coal is being mined in all the coal-rich areas of the state, but for reasons beyond one’s comprehension, the illegal activity is not reported. Why is this so?
It is obvious that despite the NGT ban, illegal mining activities occur in the other coal mining areas of the state, but the Government and the other agencies including the media in those areas chose to turn a blind eye to such activities. But now after this unfortunate incident the Government can no longer deny the truth, that illegal mining takes place throughout the state.
The Thursday incident also brings to the fore the safety issue of miners and those who are engaged in the entire value chain in the mining business in the state. Now the Government can no longer turn its Nelsons’ eye to what is happening in all the coal mine areas in the state because the illegal activity also puts the lives of all those who are engaged in mining in grave danger.
Surprisingly, in spite of all that has happened there are still people justifying mining and transportation of coal from the state which the NGT banned since April 2014. It is hard to believe that even now the arguments of those who are in favour of mining without regulations is on the grounds that it is the right of tribal people to mine according to traditional methods which essentially means without any regulatory encumbrances in a free for all manner because that is guaranteed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Indeed, no one would question the right of the land owners to mine minerals in their land, if no damage is done to the environment, or if the rivers and streams in the area did not turn acidic or if lives are not lost. Unfortunately we have reports that even soil in the state has become highly acidic. The landowners no doubt have right to their land, but they have no right to pollute the water and the air around because no one owns the river, the air or the earth.
After more than four decades of unscientific mining we are in an unfortunate situation that not only the rivers and streams in the mining areas are affected, but rivers downstream of the mining areas are impacted because of acid mine drainage which flows from streams and rivers from the coal mining areas. The point is that if one has the right then one also has responsibility to see that one’s right does not infringe on the other person’s right. In short, one should not trample on the rights of the other fellow human being’s right to life. It is not only the responsibility of the miners to see that the rights of thousands of other people to clean water and clean air is respected because that is a basic human rights issue. And now the miners should see that the rights of the people they engage as labourers is also protected.
That is not only a basic human rights issue but it is part of our traditional value system which believes in the general pursuit for the well-being of everybody or ‘ka bhalang uba bun balang.’ This is also a universally accepted golden rule which says; “Do unto others what you want then to do to you.” Unfortunately, the people who live downstream of the rivers like Kupli, Lukha, Myntdu had to live a life where the water in their rivers are not fit for human consumption because of the activities of the people upstream of the river. Three years after the ban was imposed in April 2014, we have reports from people who live on the banks of Lukha that fish started to come to the river, but if we continue mining without regulation, the river will not regain its lost glory.
After the brutal attack on Agnes and her friend Amita Sangma, those in the coal business asked, why Agnes didn’t just mind her own business and stop interfering with their business. Well, the answer to that is that if there are people who consider that it is their business to break the law, then there are people who want to see that the rule of law prevails. Agnes and her friend belong to the latter group. She considers it to be her business to see that justice is done and more importantly unlike those who only care for their vested interests, people like Agnes also care about the environment and think about the future of the State. And if we have not realised it yet, what they do is also connected to the cardinal principle of the Khasi Pnar people, ‘Ban kamai ia ka hok,’ or to earn righteousness.
On the other hand, it is rather embarrassing that even after more than a month has lapsed since the crime was committed the police have only managed to arrest a few people while the big sharks are still absconding. Despite the fact that more than 30 people were involved in the assault and attempt to murder case, the criminals are still at large. What does this tell us about the competency of police in the East Jaintia hills?
To justify the assault on the duo, a friend recently told me of the story that is doing the rounds, which is that Amita and Agnes were paid to do what they did. When I told him that they said the same thing about me, he said that he knows me well and that he won’t believe any unfounded stories about me. When I reminded him of a story which appeared in a vernacular paper alleging that I was envious of the limestone miners in Nongtalang and my opposition to the activity is because despite my effort, nobody was willing to lease their land to me for mining, then he nodded his head. People will make up stories to discredit those who fight for the environment. This we all know and expected.
It is everybody’s business to interfere in a matter that concerns the welfare of the people and when their larger good is at risk or when the fate of the future generation is at stake. What people involved in the mining business should remember is that people are not against mining as such, provided it is being done without damaging the environment. But it becomes the business of concerned citizens when it damages the environment, puts the lives of those engaged in mining in danger and also affects the livelihoods of others.
Mining can only be allowed again if the Government addresses the two important issues of protection of the environment and ensuring the safety of the miners. The government cannot go on skirting the root of the problem by running around the different democratic machinery like the judiciary. We have elected our representative to make laws and why can’t the legislature come up with a law which allows mining but at the same time addresses environmental concerns and safety of the labourers? What do we pay them for if they cannot make laws?