Tynsong reiterates MDA’s commitment to stop coal illegalities
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 8: The East Jaintia Hills district administration has so far found no concrete evidence or physical traces that point towards a coal mine accident or mishap in Thangskai village, despite persistent rumours circulating in the area.
However, multiple verified reports emanating directly from residents of Thangskai village in East Jaintia Hills district continue to insist that three coal labourers were tragically buried alive when an illegal rat-hole mine suddenly collapsed on them recently. Locals further claim that the bodies were quietly removed in the dead of the night to avoid attention.
East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner Shivansh Awasthi told The Shillong Times on Monday that the district police have thoroughly inquired into the matter but have not been able to unearth anything conclusive till now.
“We have made repeated attempts to verify the facts, including reaching out to the headman of the village and other local authorities, but they have categorically stated that no such incident has taken place in the village,” the DC clarified.
Even police sources have admitted that they received similar information, following which a team was immediately rushed to the spot, yet the team did not find any evidence or recover any bodies.
“We will continue our efforts to ascertain whether any such unfortunate incident has actually occurred, and once that is established we will direct the police to submit a detailed report on the matter,” the DC assured.
Meanwhile, the NPP-led MDA 2.0 Government has once again strongly reiterated its unwavering commitment to completely crush all forms of unlawful and illegal mining activities across the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, while responding to pointed queries from journalists on the reported death of three coal labourers, disclosed that the government is yet to receive any official report that conclusively confirms the alleged incident.
“I have already directed the district administration to find out whether it is true or not. But till now we are yet to get any clue,” Tynsong stated empathically.
The Deputy Chief Minister further stressed that both the state machinery and all concerned enforcement agencies continue to remain highly vigilant and proactive on the ground.
“We are always on the job, checking wherever we get information about illegal mining. It is an ongoing process, and we are trying our best to ensure that illegal mining does not take place,” he said.
At the same time, the Deputy Chief Minister openly acknowledged the serious and persistent challenges faced by authorities in effectively monitoring the vast coal-rich belts, many of which are located in extremely remote and inaccessible areas.
“The places where we have to go have no approach roads. We have to walk for five to six hours. So yes, there are challenges,” he conceded.
Despite these formidable obstacles posed by the difficult terrain, Tynsong reaffirmed that strict instructions have already been issued to all district administrations to act proactively, intensify ground-level vigilance, and take immediate action wherever required in order to completely prevent the resurgence of illegal rat-hole and other forms of illegal coal mining in Meghalaya.
