The Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday that it was facing difficulties in rescuing 15 miners trapped since December 13 in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya as there was no blueprint of the 355-feet well which has “maze of rat holes”.
The Government told a Bench comprising Justice AK Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer that the illegal mine was located near a river and seepage of water from the river was hindering the rescue operation.
The Bench observed that initially “no serious efforts” were made to rescue these trapped persons but now it seems that the authorities are making efforts.
The court directed the Centre and Meghalaya Government to file on January 7 a status report detailing the steps taken and also the progress made in the rescue operation.
The top court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) which has sought urgent steps for rescuing these miners.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, told the court about the steps taken by the authorities, including Central Government officials, for undertaking swift rescue operation in Meghalaya.
He said that since the mine was illegal, no blueprint was available and they were facing difficulty in rescue operation as “a maze of rat holes have been created and nobody knows where this goes”.
He said the 355-feet well was like having a 20-storeyed building beneath the land.
The rat-hole mine, atop a hillock fully covered with trees in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, was flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it, trapping 15 miners.