Seven months after 15 people were trapped in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya, the Supreme Court on Friday allowed the State Government’s plea seeking its permission to call off the ongoing operation to retrieve the bodies.
The illegal mine is located at Ksan in East Jaintia Hills district, about 3.7 km deep inside a forest and can be accessed after crossing three streams. It was flooded in December last year trapping 15 miners when water from the nearby Letein river gushed into it.
A Bench of Justices SA Bobde and BR Gavai passed the order while hearing a petition which had sought urgent steps for rescuing the miners trapped in the rat-hole mine since December 13 last year.
Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually three-four feet deep, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed “rat holes” as each just about fits one person.
During the hearing on Friday, senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that the State has filed an application seeking permission to call off the operation.