SHILLONG: ‘Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them’, George Eliot had written in the novel Adam Bede. In Meghalaya, both the government and its constituents have indeed forgotten their dead and they seem intent on continuing with this attitude.
If the 13 miners trapped in an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills are confirmed dead, it would be among the biggest tragedies to have taken place in the coal mines of the state. This comes only a month after two activists were brutally attacked at Tuber Sohshrieh in the same district while they were investigating illegal mining and transportation of coal.
While the activists pleaded with the authorities to probe the illegal mining and collusion of police with coal mafia, the NPP-led MDA government, including Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and several of his Cabinet colleagues, continued to vehemently deny any illegal activities.
Even after allegations against police, they were tasked with the investigation into the assault of the activists.
Thursday’s tragedy, however, nullified government’s claims and proved the allegations of illegal mining.
Reporters who visited the accident site said it appeared to be an old coal mine where mining began only recently.
The fate of those coal miners stuck in the coal mine is not known as of now but their screams will surely rock the Secretariat in days to come.
Several deaths had taken place in the box mines of Meghalaya, where poor migrant and local workers were employed and no safety measures were taken for miners, in the past prior to the NGT ban on rat-hole mining.
In 2002, 40 miners drowned in a coal mine and in 2012, 15 workers drowned in a mine in Nangalbibra in South Garo Hills.
A series of deaths followed till rat-hole mining was banned.
But the deaths of several faceless poor miners were gradually erased from the memory of those in power and local mine owners, many of whom now walk the corridors of power, as their coffers filled up.
When contacted on Thursday evening, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said he has to update himself on the incident and he “will give a reaction on the matter on Friday”.
The news of the tragedy seemed to have travelled at snail’s pace to Shillong.
Attempts were also made to contact the chief minister and Home Minister James Sangma for their reaction on the matter but they did not respond to the calls.
The opposition Congress, which also did little to bring justice to the dead when it was in the government, has been harping on CBI inquiry after the attack on the activists. It had also alleged that political leaders were involved in illegal mining and the government was facilitating this.
The government remained passive to the demand for CBI inquiry and ordered a judicial probe.
Reacting to Thursday’s incident, the Thma U Rangli (TUR) headed by social activist Angela Rangad said the state government should “stop feigning ignorance about illegal, environmentally damaging and murderous coal mining in the state”.
“The loss of precious lives is blood on the hands of the government and the coal mine owners. The government and coal mine owners not only have to own up responsibility but be held criminally liable for this gross human rights violation and loss of lives,” TUR said.
The NGO has also demanded “immediate and adequate compensation” to the mine workers and their families besides immediate arrest of the owners and managers of the coal mine.
But knowing the short memory of the government and the eerie silence that is being maintained by authorities concerned, one can well expect the dead to be forgotten soon.
