Temporary shelters believed to have been used by illegal miners were also identified and dismantled
KRC TIMES Assam Bureau
Guwahati : In the wake of a deadly blast at an unauthorised coal mine in East Jaintia Hills, the district administration has intensified its crackdown on illegal mining operations, seizing more than 7,000 metric tonnes of illegally extracted coal across multiple locations.
Acting on directions from the Meghalaya High Court, the East Jaintia Hills administration deployed five enforcement teams comprising executive magistrates, police personnel and officials from the Directorate of Mineral Resources. During the operations, nearly 3,197 metric tonnes of illegal coal were confiscated from nine sites in Umlawang, while another 351 metric tonnes were seized from four locations in Umthe.
In a separate enforcement drive conducted earlier, authorities seized around 3,356 metric tonnes of coal from eight sites along the Sakhain-Thangsko road. Mining tools and equipment were also recovered during the operation.
Officials said explosive materials were found at several locations. Sixty-three detonators were seized from Umpleng Bazar, leading to the arrest of three persons. At Rangad, a carton containing 204 gelatine sticks was recovered. Additional coal stockpiles of about 153.4 metric tonnes and 22.3 metric tonnes were discovered at two separate sites.
Temporary shelters believed to have been used by illegal miners were also identified and dismantled. East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said 30 cases related to illegal coal extraction, storage and transportation have been registered so far, with further legal proceedings, including the filing of FIRs, underway.
To prevent further risks and aid enforcement, the District Magistrate imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in affected areas. Similar restrictions have been enforced in neighbouring West Jaintia Hills district, banning illegal rat-hole mining, unauthorised coal movement and related activities.
Meanwhile, no additional bodies were recovered on Sunday from the site of the powerful dynamite blast at the illegal rat-hole mine in Mynsngat village under the Thangsko area. The confirmed death toll remains at 27.
Search and rescue operations continued with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Special Rescue Team, police and the district administration conducting extensive inspections of the affected mine areas. Officials said the operations would resume again the following morning to ensure no sections were left unchecked.
Deputy Commissioner Manish Kumar said rescue efforts were ongoing but acknowledged the difficulty in determining how many people were inside the mine at the time of the explosion, as illegal mining operations do not maintain official records. Accounts from migrant workers suggested that around 17 individuals or bodies may still be trapped, though this information has not been independently verified.
Officials said nine injured survivors have been identified as Jamil Ahmed, Shanki Shylla, Deb Malakar, Dawa Sherpa, Lalit Magar, Raju Tamang, Ramesh Basnet, Mon Bahadur and Korna Mondal.
Post-mortem examinations are being conducted at Shillong Civil Hospital on bodies recovered from the Thangsko mining site, where 13 of the total fatalities have been confirmed so far. Authorities also said ex gratia relief amounting to Rs 24 lakh has been disbursed to eight affected families, while claims from other households are pending completion of formal verification.
