Guwahati, Jan 11: The recovery of three additional bodies on Saturday has raised the death toll in the tragic Umrongso coal mine incident to four. Five miners remain trapped in the flooded rat-hole mine at 3 Kilo in Assam’s Dima Hasao district.
The miners were initially trapped on January 6 after illegally entering the abandoned mine, allegedly operated without proper clearance by Kanika Hojai, wife of Debolal Hojai, Chief Executive Member (CEM) of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council (DHAC).
An official of the Assam Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said the NDRF assisted by SDRF, Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Assam Rifles, continued its intensive rescue efforts. The operation, now in its fifth day, faces significant challenges due to flooding and complicated mine structures.
On Saturday the rescued retrieved three bodies. They are- Lijan Magar (26) son of Dal Bahadur Magar, resident of Assam Coal Quarry in Umrongso; Khusi Mohan Rai (57) son of Lalit Rai from Magergaon under Fakirgram police station in Kokrajhar district and Sarat Goyary (37), son of Andul Goyary from Thailapara, Batashipur, in Sonitpur district.
On January 9, the first body recovered was identified as Ganga Bahadur Shreth (38), son of the late Man Harbhajan Shreth. “Efforts to dewater the mine are ongoing using a heavy-duty pump brought in from Nagpur. Despite operating at full capacity, approximately 26 meters of water remain inside the mine.
Complications caused by interconnected wells are adding to the delays, officials noted,” an NDRF official said. Navy teams have deployed sonar equipment and deep-diving techniques to assist in locating the trapped miners.
The mine was reportedly operated illegally under the nose of local authorities, raising questions about oversight by police, forest, and administrative officials. Environmental activist and journalist Apurba Ballav Goswami highlighted concerns over regulatory violations, “Mines over 150 hectares require environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).”
“Mining between 150 hectares and 5 hectares requires clearance from the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA),” Goswami said.
“Rat-hole mining under 5 hectares is explicitly prohibited by the National Green Tribunal (NGT),” he said.
Goswami alleged that many such illegal mines operate in Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong Hills with alleged complicity from politicians, mining, and forest officials.
“There is ambiguity over whether the Assam Mineral Development Corporation (AMDC) mine, implicated in the tragedy, possesses the necessary environmental and forest clearances.
The Supreme Court’s recent stay on provisions for ex-post facto environmental clearances further complicates the legality of any approvals issued retroactively,” he further said.
“A document from the Ministry of Coal dated April 12, 2024, indicates AMDC’s mining plan approval in March 2024, with production projected to commence by 2025. However, the mine’s alleged operation in November 2023, without clearance, raises serious concerns,” he added.
