Shillong, Dec 16, 2018: Various rescue teams on December 16 continued their efforts to locate 13 miners trapped while working in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district.
According to police and the district administration, so far only 3 helmets have been found.
The miners were trapped on December 13 in Ksan village and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local police have been trying to rescue them.
“We are working overtime, the NDRF has brought in loads of equipment and together we are sparing no efforts but unfortunately we are yet to locate any bodies so far,” East Jaintia Hills superintendent of police, Silvester Nongtyngnger. told Hindustan Times over phone.
Despite a four-year-old ban on mining by the National Green Tribunal, mining activity was underway at the site near Lytein River in the district. The mine collapsed on December 13, trapping the 13 people.
Revealing that the mine was extremely deep at 370 feet, he said, “It is in fact below the water level of the adjacent Lytein River, so you can well imagine the challenges we are facing to drain out the water.”
Expressing incredulity that coal mine owner Jrin Chullet a.k.a. Krip Chullet, who has since been arrested, had the audacity to take such a risk, Nongtyngnger said, “Imagine going down so deep and risking your workers’ lives and that too to carry out an illegal activity…. He and anyone else involved will not be spared, I assure you.”
Asked if Chullet was related to Nidamon Chullet, the mastermind of the November 8 near fatal attack on social activists Agnes Kharshiing and Amita Sangma of the Civil Society Women’s Organisation who had visited the area to document illegal coal mining, he said they may be of the same clan but whether they are related is yet to be ascertained. “Investigation is underway and we will leave no stone unturned, don’t worry,” he said.
According to a senior police official, the site of mishap is over 20 km away from the place where the two activists were attacked.
According to Northeast Now, even the sonar system and underwater camera failed to detect the trapped miners inside the 370 feet coal pit filled with water since Thursday morning.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team blamed it on poor visibility inside the coal pit.
Even the water level at the pit did not recede much despite continuous pumping.
Meanwhile, the NDRF team engaged in the rescue operation has suggested to the district administration of East Jaintia Hills to call in the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation to deploy ‘submersible water pumps’ to reduce the water level.
Earlier on December 14 night, Meghalaya Police had arrested Jrin alias Krip Chulet, the owner of the coal mine from Narwan village.
Among the 13 laborers a few are from Shillong, while majority of them were either from Meghalaya’s Garo Hills and Assam.
Although the National Green Tribunal banned the coal mining in April 2014 due to environmental ground, rat hole mining are being done illegally by some local mine and land owners.