SHILLONG: Meghalaya government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court to call off the ongoing rescue operations at Ksan in East Jaintia Hills.
However, the rescue operation was unofficially abandoned due to flooding of the area following constant rain for the last two days.
A government official said due to the flooding, men posted there had to retreat and with the continuous rain, the area remained inaccessible.
Despite the de-watering of the affected mine and several others in the vicinity, there has been little change in their water levels. In fact, it has only increased over the past few days following rain the area.
“We have filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court. Let’s see once the Supreme Court takes up the matter and gives us necessary directions as to what we have to do,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Wednesday.
All the families of the miners trapped in the coal mine at Ksan have written to the state government saying they have no objection to the rescue operation being called off as it has proved to be futile.
The rescue operations were kicked off on December 14 last year, a day after the mine was flooded and 16 miners were trapped.
For the rescue of the miners, the army and navy were also roped in apart from NDRF and SDRF. Besides, firefighters from Odisha, Coal India Limited and experts in the field of geology, hydrology and allied sciences among others were also involved. Till date, however, only two bodies could be retrieved while another though located could not be brought out.
The exercise continues at the direction of the Supreme Court which has been monitoring it after a PIL was filed in this connection. However, it had recently asked that the opinion of the kin of the trapped miners be taken whether they wanted the rescue effort to continue.
