Our Bureau
SHILLONG/JOWAI, Feb 8: Three days after the worst mining tragedy in Meghalaya’s history and following a stern directive from the High Court of Meghalaya, the East Jaintia Hills district administration has significantly ramped up enforcement to ensure a complete ban on illegal coal mining activities in the district.
Five teams, comprising Executive Magistrates, police personnel, and officials from the Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR), deployed for enforcement, seized approximately 3,197 MT of illegal coal from nine locations under Umlawang and 351 MT from four locations under Umthe. In a separate operation earlier on Friday, about 3,356 MT of coal was confiscated from eight locations along the Sakhain–Thangsko road, along with related tools and equipment.
Additional seizures included 63 detonators at Umpleng Bazar which was followed by the arrest of three persons, one carton containing 204 gelatine sticks was seized at Rangad, while coal heaps totaling around 153.4 MT and 22.3 MT were found in two locations.
Makeshift camps linked to illegal mining were identified and destroyed. East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar reported that 30 cases related to illegal coal mining, transportation, and dumps have been registered so far, with further legal actions under way, including FIRs.
To ensure public safety and support ongoing operations, the District Magistrate issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in the affected areas. A similar order was issued by the District Magistrate of West Jaintia Hills District, strictly banning illegal rat-hole coal mining, transportation of coal without valid documents or licenses, and related activities across the district.
Meanwhile, no additional bodies were recovered on Sunday from the site of the devastating dynamite explosion in an illegal rat-hole coal mine at Mynsngat, Thangsko area in East Jaintia Hills District, leaving the confirmed death toll at 27.
Search and rescue operations, involving teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Special Rescue Team (SRT), police, and district administration, continued at the site. Thorough searches of the affected mine sites were conducted, with operations set to resume the following morning to ensure complete coverage.
East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner Manish Kumar confirmed that efforts are ongoing, though he noted the challenge in determining the exact number of individuals trapped or present inside the mines at the time of the blast, as no precise records exist for such unauthorised operations.
Migrant labourers present at the site suggest around 17 persons (or bodies) may remain trapped, but verification remains difficult.
Nine injured survivors have been identified as Raju Tamang, Jamil Ahmed, Deb Malakar, Lalit Magar, Mon Bahadur, Dawa Sherpa, Korna Mondal, Shanki Shylla, and Ramesh Basnet.
Thirteen bodies from the Thangsko site were brought to Shillong Civil Hospital for post-mortem examinations. Compensation of Rs 24 lakh has already been disbursed to the families of eight victims, with further payments to continue upon submission of required documentary evidence by the next of kin.
