Meghalaya has a history of tragic incidents caused by illegal "rat-hole" mining, yet the state appears to have failed to learn from these events.
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Meghalaya has a history of tragic incidents caused by illegal "rat-hole" mining, yet the state appears to have failed to learn from these events. Despite the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposing a ban on rat-hole mining in 2014 due to safety and environmental concerns, illegal activities have persisted, leading to the loss of lives. In 2018, at least 15 miners were killed after a rat-hole mine in East Jaintia Hills was flooded, causing widespread uproar over the failure to implement the ban on the practice. A similar tragic incident took place in the same district last week, killing as many as 32 miners and injuring more than 80 others. The workers were trapped after narrow shaft collapsed due to high-intensity dynamite explosion in a 100-foot-deep illegal coal mine. The state authorities have launched a crackdown on illegal mining and ordered a judicial inquiry into the recent incident but it was too little, too late. The state has been sitting on a ticking time bomb for years. The recurring incidents reflect a systemic failure in enforcement, negligence, and a lack of political will to put an end to such primitive mining methods.
Following the February 5 devastating explosion, the National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the government of Meghalaya over non-compliance with its previous orders. The National Human Rights Commission has also taken suo motu cognisance of the tragedy, citing human rights violations. With the Centre confirming that there are no government-operated mines, it is clear that all mining activities in the state are illegal. It is ironic that a tragedy was needed to prompt the government and other organisations to take action. Rat-hole mining should not exist in the first place, given the associated risks. The governments, both at the centre and the state, must act decisively to end illegal mining. To set a precedent, people responsible for the recent incident should be booked and penalised. No stone should be left unturned in the investigation process, including possible connections to politicians and other influential people, as claimed by some reports. The government must not only put an end to rat-hole mining permanently but also closely examine ongoing developmental projects in the Himalayan region, given the fragility of its topography. The region, including the entire Northeast India, is categorised under the highest seismological risk and prone to natural calamities like landslides, cloudbursts, flash floods, forest fires, etc. This makes it all the more important to consider safety, whether in mining or infrastructural activities. If we fail to do so, history will repeat itself.