By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 12: Fresh revelations following the tragic February 5 coal mine explosion in East Jaintia Hills — which claimed 32 lives in an illegal rat-hole mine at Mynsyngat-Thangsko — have spotlighted the alleged diversion of legally procured explosives into banned mining operations.
Highly placed sources indicate a well-entrenched network involving licensed dealers, middlemen, and oversight failures that enables this illicit supply chain, despite strict regulations and repeated court reprimands.
The district administration bears primary responsibility for regulating explosives storage and use while curbing illegal mining. Yet, persistent incidents in the coal belt, coupled with recent Meghalaya High Court dissatisfaction over enforcement failures in East Jaintia Hills — which led to arrests of four coal mine owners — have intensified scrutiny of ground-level mechanisms.
Sources familiar with past operations assert that the primary source of gelatin sticks (locally called Neo-gel) and detonators in illegal mines is not cross-border smuggling but diversion from legally imported consignments intended for stone and limestone quarries.
“Explosives are legally transported from Guwahati in authorised vans with valid documentation and stored in licensed magazines,” a source explained.
District-level permissions for procurement, storage, and use fall under the Deputy Commissioner (DC) as licensing authority, with the Superintendent of Police overseeing related law and order.
However, discrepancies frequently emerge between documented quantities and actual handling. “Magazine capacities are vetted by the DC, but declared stocks often differ from what is stored or diverted. Portions of gelatin sticks are allegedly siphoned off and routed to coal areas via intermediaries,” the source alleged.
A prior joint enforcement drive in East Jaintia Hills seized nearly 650 kg of gelatin sticks and 200 detonators — a quantity capable of causing “massive destruction,” sources emphasised. Though the seizure temporarily disrupted supplies, the network reportedly persists.
Middlemen, or “dalals,” exploit local terrain and forest routes to clandestinely transport explosives from licensed facilities to mining sites, bypassing checks. “This is largely internal diversion within the licensed system, not large-scale external imports,” a source stressed.
The recent blast involved improvised explosive devices (IEDs) assembled on-site with gelatin cartridges and detonator wires — standard in rat-hole mines for breaking hard rock and coal seams.
Sources describe coal mining and explosives supply as “parallel but interconnected businesses,” where operators and suppliers mutually profit.
Ground-level intelligence and monitoring gaps persist, exacerbated by community reliance on mining for livelihoods and local reluctance to report activities. “Transporters produce extensive paperwork. Without specific intelligence or physical stock verification against declared capacity, discrepancies go undetected,” an officer noted.
Licence audits are reportedly infrequent, with stock verifications sometimes mismatching records. “Expired or weakly monitored licences become vulnerable to misuse,” sources added.
In October 2022, the East Jaintia Hills district administration issued a prohibitory order under the Arms Rules, 2008, banning unauthorised possession, sale, or use of explosives in coal mines, with warnings of strict penal action.
Sources claim the directive has seen limited enforcement, allowing continued access despite the ban.
Adding to concerns, gelatin sticks are allegedly available at low prices — as little as Rs 20 per stick in some areas — while detonators remain procurable through known contacts, making them accessible to illegal operators.
“If someone knows the right contacts, procurement is not difficult,” the source alleged.
The tragedy has renewed calls for tighter oversight, effective enforcement, and dismantling of diversion networks to prevent future disasters in Meghalaya’s banned but persistent rat-hole mining landscape.
