Three days after what is being described as the worst mining tragedy in Meghalaya’s history, the East Jaintia Hills district administration has intensified its crackdown on illegal coal mining. The move comes in response to a strict directive issued by the Meghalaya High Court.
Five enforcement teams — comprising Executive Magistrates, police personnel, and officials from the Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR) — have been deployed across the district. These teams seized around 3,197 metric tonnes (MT) of illegally mined coal from nine locations under Umlawang and 351 MT from four locations under Umthe.
In a separate operation earlier on Friday, authorities confiscated about 3,356 MT of coal from eight locations along the Sakhain–Thangsko road. Tools and equipment linked to illegal mining were also seized.
Further recoveries included 63 detonators from Umpleng Bazar, leading to the arrest of three individuals. At Rangad, officials seized one carton containing 204 gelatine sticks. Coal dumps measuring 153.4 MT and 22.3 MT were also found at two additional locations.
Makeshift camps believed to be used by illegal miners were identified and dismantled. East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said 30 cases related to illegal mining, transportation, and storage of coal have been registered so far, with more legal action, including FIRs, underway.
To maintain public safety and support the operations, the District Magistrate imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in affected areas. A similar order was issued in West Jaintia Hills district, banning illegal rat-hole mining, transportation of coal without valid documents, and related activities.
Meanwhile, no additional bodies were recovered on Sunday from the site of the devastating dynamite explosion at an illegal rat-hole mine in the Mynsngat area of Thangsko. The confirmed death toll remains at 27.
Search and rescue operations are continuing with teams from the NDRF, SDRF, Special Rescue Team, police, and district administration. Officials said operations will resume again to ensure thorough coverage of the site.
Deputy Commissioner Manish Kumar stated that it remains difficult to determine the exact number of people trapped during the blast, as illegal mines maintain no official records. Migrant workers at the site estimate that around 17 more people may still be trapped, but verification is challenging.
The nine injured survivors have been identified as Raju Tamang, Jamil Ahmed, Deb Malakar, Lalit Magar, Mon Bahadur, Dawa Sherpa, Korna Mondal, Shanki Shylla, and Ramesh Basnet.
Thirteen bodies recovered from the Thangsko site were taken to Shillong Civil Hospital for post-mortem examinations. The government has already disbursed ₹24 lakh in compensation to the families of eight victims. Further payments will be made once the required documents are submitted by the next of kin.
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