Meghalaya: Owner of coal mine arrested

Guwahati, December 16, 2018:

Meghlaya Police have apprehended the owner of a rat-hole mine in the state where 13 people were trapped and are feared dead.

The rescue operations, carried out by the National Disaster Response Force, did not yield any results. The 13 miners were trapped in the coal mine on Thursday morning due to flooding.

Jrin Chullet, the owner of mine, was arrested on Friday night after a raid on his house in Narwan village. Chulet was arrested under Sections 188, 304A and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 3(2)(d) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and Section 21(1) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.

So far, three helmets were recovered during the rescue operations, which were proved to be difficult because of the flooding inside the 370 feet deep mine.

It may be mentioned that the National Green Tribunal had banned unscientific and unsafe rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya in 2014. On Saturday, it sought a report from the Meghalaya government.

Rajbala MLA Azad Zaman visited the site of incident on Sunday and held a meeting with the officials of the district administration and the police.

According to reports, six of the 13 people trapped in the mine are residents of Rajbala.