By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: As many as 15 accidental deaths and killing of 5 mine workers by the militants this year alone mark the perils of working in coal mines in the State.
The coal labourers, mostly migrants, are silent sufferers as they face the wrath of the militants as well as the fury of nature.
The large number of coal labourers either killed by militants or in accidents at mines reveal that they have become a vulnerable group.
15 coal labourers were killed in separate incidents since January last due to the accidents in mines.
The authorities are still clueless about the 15 miners who were trapped inside the coal mine at Nengkol in Rongsa Awe area of Nangalbibra, South Garo Hills, in July last year as their bodies are yet to be traced.
Besides the killing of five coal labourers in South Garo Hills by suspected United Achik Liberation Army militants on Monday afternoon, several coal labourers were killed by both ANVC(B) and GNLA in Garo Hills in the past.
The ANVC (B) had shot dead four coal mine labourers in Nangalbibra, South Garo Hills in November, 2010.
In December last year, a coal labourer identified as Sunil Sangma from Assam was shot dead by GNLA cadres at Rajaju in South West Khasi Hills. The militants had accused him of being a police informer.
In November 2010, GNLA militants had shot dead two coal labourers in separate incidents in South Garo Hills.
Last November, unidentified armed men went to a labour camp located at Nongjri village under Sutnga Elaka in East Jaintia Hills District and shot dead a coal labourer and assaulted three others after they failed to pay money as demanded by the militants.
The same year in October, one Hari Thapa, a resident of Jhalupara here, was shot dead by a group of armed miscreants at a coal mine in the same area.
Besides, there were several cases of kidnapping of coal managers and coal traders by the militants in the past in Garo Hills.
Moreover, the fight for supremacy in coal mines had also led to clashes resulting in deaths and injury to the coal miners as well as coalmine owners.
Besides murder, cases of crime against women were also reported in the past from the make shift camps of the coal mine workers.
There is hardly any voice of protest from the NGOs or human rights activists against the violent death of coal labourers, which exposes the fact that the plight of coal workers is of no concern to the State which, however, accords priority to mining activities.
Though the mining activities in coal and limestone mines provide revenue to the State and those who own the mines, the Government is yet to think about the protection and safety of the unorganized mine workers.
The tools and equipment being used by the coal mine workers are obsolete which often lead to fatal accidents.
A senior police official admitted that the State is yet to think about raising a protection force like the Industrial Security Force to look after the industrial areas especially the mines where crimes have become the order of the day.
Besides the aspect of security in mines, the State Government is yet to implement various provisions of the State Mining Policy. The rights of the miners are also denied by those who employ them.
Labour Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh recently said that she would visit Garo Hills on May 24 to understand the problems of the mine workers.
She, however, said that a proper coordination between labour, mining and other related departments is the need of the hour to address the plight of miners.
