Shillong, Oct 29: Five out-of-state labourers are feared dead after an explosion in an illegal coal mine in Thangsko, East Jaintia Hills about two weeks ago.
More than 30 miners lost their lives in an explosion at a Thangsko mine early this year.
In the most recent incident, the victims’ bodies were hurriedly spirited into Assam to try and conceal the fact that illegal mining was taking place.
The deadly blast early this year threw a spotlight on the rampant illegal mining that continues under the very noses of the government in East Jaintia Hills. Being at the centre of the news story, which went national and even international, saw the authorities crack down on illegal mining in the district but, with the passage of time, it is picking up pace once again.
The alleged mine in this case is supposedly located on government land in Elaka Sutnga. The owner is said to have struck a deal with the local Daloi to mine the coal. According to a source, non-tribal sordars look after mining operations inside while a local manager monitors coal extraction and transportation.
According to information gleaned from a party in the know, 46 labourers were working in the rat-hole coal mine. Labourers were paid per thela – a box measuring 3x2x2 feet – with the rate having been raised to Rs 250 per thela from the previous Rs 180 in order to attract workers to the dangerous rat holes.
Although there was an attempt to cover up the deaths, a relative of a worker present at the site fled after the incident and shared information about the deaths.
When contacted, East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Shailander Bamaniya said that, as per his information, no such incident has occurred.
However, in past cases information about lethal incidents has broken only after local sources ended their silence.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in South West Khasi Hills, a 50-year-old labourer from Musniang Rim in East Jaintia Hills was left paralysed after a mining collapse at Nongjri. Despite his injuries, he has not received treatment at a medical centre out of fear, a source said.
After the pressure to close mines in Thangsko, many poor labourers from East Jaintia Hills moved to South West Khasi Hills for coal work.
The money to be made from illegal coal has continued to flow. There has been a surge in illegal transportation along the Assam-Meghalaya border, a whistleblower has said, with dozens of coal-laden trucks assembling at Athiabari every night.
Drivers allegedly move without e-way bills or challans by paying up to Rs 1.5 lakh per vehicle to bypass transit checkpoints. Coal from rat-hole mining sites in West Khasi Hills is reportedly heading straight into Assam’s commercial hubs, a source claimed.
