Shillong, Feb 11: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma bears moral and political responsibility for last week’s deadly Thangsko illegal coal mine disaster that has claimed the lives of 31 people, the East Jaintia Hills unit of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) said today.
As head of the government and Mining and Geology Minister, Sangma is ultimately responsible for the state government’s “systemic failure” that led to Meghalaya’s worst mining disaster.
“The government has allowed illegal mining and unchecked migrant labour to flourish, causing the state’s revenue to be plundered,” said Streamly N Suchen of the KSU East Jaintia Hills.
The pressure group alleged that the government’s inaction and negligence enabled illegal coal mining and transportation and that the laws meant to prevent such crises were not implemented. “The government’s claims of ignorance due to the site’s remoteness are an insult to the people’s intelligence,” Suchen added.
The union demanded a judicial inquiry with a strict deadline, prosecution of those involved and implementation of the Meghalaya Migrant Workers Act.
“The Chief Minister must take moral and political responsibility for this colossal governance failure,” Suchen said.
The KSU also urged the government to accept the offer of central security forces to conduct a joint operation to dismantle illegal mining camps. The state government has been steadfastly opposed to this, even though the Meghalaya police service is short of thousands of personnel due to delays in hiring.
