NEW DELHI/ SHILLONG: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and Meghalaya government to continue efforts to rescue the 15 miners trapped in an illegal coal mine at Ksan in East Jaintia Hills district since December 13 even as the Indian Navy’s efforts to retrieve the second body remained futile on Monday.
On the other hand, the army also arrived at Ksan on Monday to provide assistance.
The bench of Justices AK Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer, which is hearing a PIL filed by Advocate Aditya N Prasad on the rescue operations, asked the governments to keep looking for the miners; days after Indian Navy’s underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) detected the body of a second miner.
Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta had earlier assured the court that the government was not abandoning efforts to rescue the trapped miners.
“Continue efforts to trace all the miners believed to be trapped inside the flooded coal mine,” the bench said.
The bench was told by lawyer Anand Grover, appearing for the petitioner, that de-watering of the mine was necessary to retrieve the bodies. “Search for balance survivors/mortal remains is in progress,” the Centre said in its report detailing the status of action taken by the authorities.
Grover, appearing for the petitioner Aditya N Prasad, said that 14 to 15 high-power water pumps were required to de-water the mines. “Without de-watering the mines, they (authorities) cannot have access to the bodies,” he said, adding that equipment of the Indian Army was needed in the rescue operation.
Mehta told the bench that suggestions given by Grover on the ongoing rescue operation would be duly considered by the authorities.
The bench has posted the matter for further hearing on February 4.
Sources said the army has carried out a reconnaissance at the site on Monday as part of providing assistance to the Navy. They said that a team of army personnel have arrived at the site and set up camp. “They will assist the Navy and provide necessary logistics”, a source added.
According to the source, at this juncture, the army will provide only assistance and will not get directly involved as Navy and NDRF are the main agencies carrying out the rescue operations.
In its status report filed in the top court, the Centre said that crores of litres of water has been pumped out from the mine and underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) of the Indian Navy were already working in the rescue operation.
“Underground ROVs being operated in adjacent mines are systematically searching and sanitising them one by one. So far, two adjacent mines have been searched and declared clear,” the report said.
The status report said that Meghalaya government is undertaking search and rescue operations and the Centre is supplementing the efforts by providing all necessary logistic support.
One body, belonging to Amir Hussain (35), as identified by his wife and mother from the two amulets, was recovered last Thursday and the second was detected on Saturday.
Divers are now making efforts to pull out the second body.
“We are hopeful of taking it out as soon as possible”, a rescue official said. He said that the second body was detected in the same rat-hole where the underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) found the first body.
Sources said the Navy’s ROV was entangled in the assorted debris in the main shaft of the ill-fated mine for the past couple of days. It has since been freed, but is now non-functional. Another ROV would be deployed on Tuesday to carry on the work. (With Agency inputs)
