Call on rescue ops after review: CM

SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday said a final call on the ongoing rescue operations for 14 miners trapped in a rat-hole coal mine at Ksan in East Jaintia operations will be taken after a review meeting to be held anytime soon.
The rescue operations underway since December 14, a day after the accident, have so far thrown up one body while another has been detected, but was yet to be brought out.
Sangma said the government has intensified the operations at different levels, but in spite of it, desired success hasn’t come by.
He said that the government will convene a review meeting of officials working on the ground and, after hearing them, will take a call if there is a need to appeal before the Supreme Court to call off the rescue operations.
Earlier, Minister in charge of Disaster and Revenue, Kyrmen Shylla, had said he would discuss with the chief minister on the need to approach the Supreme Court regarding the ongoing operations.
Meanwhile, officials said with less turbidity in the water in the ill-fated mine on Thursday, the Indian navy was hopeful of relocating the body that had gone missing after being detected on January 26.