SHILLONG: The mining tragedy in Meghalaya, which is only about 2,000km from the seat of power in Delhi, proved wrong the old adage of ‘charity begins at home’.
Delhi acted with alacrity in the middle of this year when a football team was trapped in a cave in Thailand, which is over 4,000 km from the national capital, and sent help for the rescue operation.
But 13 days have passed since 15 miners were trapped in an illegal rat-hole pit in East Jaintia Hills and neither the state nor the Centre could manage a single high-powered pump to facilitate the rescue operation.
A press note released by Kirloskar Brothers on July 10 this year showed the Indian government’s concern for the Thai victims, which comprised 12 boys and their coach.
The press note said after the Indian Embassy in Thailand recommended Kirloskar Brothers’ technical expertise, the company advanced on ground support by sending experts from its global offices comprising KBL (India), KBTL (Thailand) and SPP Pumps (UK). The team was present on site at the cave in Tham Luang Mae Sai since July 5 and met senior officials to present technical support.
“KBL’s expertise in dewatering was requested by the Indian embassy in Thailand as a support to the Thailand Govt. Our experts offered technical know-how and advice on dewatering and pumps involved in the rescue operation,” said the note.
“In addition, KBL also offered to allocate 4 specialized high capacity Autoprime (patented) dewatering pumps, which were kept ready at our Kirloskarvadi plant to be airlifted to Thailand for the rescue operation,” it added.
Kirloskar Group is one of the country’s largest engineering conglomerates.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, in its letter of gratitude to the Indian government, said, “I have the honour to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of the Republic of India and the Indian people, both in their homeland and diaspora, for the well-wishing for the safety of the twelve boys and their football coach who had been missing in Tham Luang Cave in Chiang Rai Province since 23 June 2018. I also wish to convey my thanks to the Embassy of India in Bangkok for the concern upon the matter as well as the offer of technical expertise in fluid management through the subsidiary of M/s Kirloskar Brothers Limited in Thailand.”
The letter added, “The generosity offered by India’s public and private sectors reflected, indeed, the close and cordial ties and friendship between our two countries and peoples.”
However, the “generosity” that the Centre showed to the friendly nation – with whom India reportedly had bilateral trade of $11 billion as on 2018 – was found wanting in the case of its own people.
The young miners were all from poor background and some of them were only bread-earners of their families. Now, with little hope left of their survival, their loved ones are waiting for the government to fish out the bodies.
Rescue operations at the mine were hindered by constant flow of water from a nearby river and unavailability of submersible pumps. The state is yet to procure the machines and by the time these pumps arrive, probably all hopes and many dreams would be drowned.
“KBL is very proud to be involved in this mission and offer its technical expertise,” Kirloskar had said in its press note.
And it should be proud as India and Thailand indeed share deep ties. A report earlier this year had said several Thailand-based companies operating in India were planning to invest around $3 billion in the next three years in various projects. It is not a small amount but those 15 were only workers at an illegal mine, a course too politically sensitive to tread in Meghalaya and the rest of the country.
