Assam: 13 illegal rat-hole mines sealed in Tinsukia district
Dibrugarh: A joint operation by authorities led to the sealing of 13 illegal rat-hole mines and the seizure of excavators at Bittu Pahar of Namdang colliery in eastern Assam's Tinsukia district on Saturday.
The operation, which began at 8:30 a.m, involved officials from various agencies, including Executive Magistrate of Margherita co-district, Pritom Gogoi, Tinsukia Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhijit Gurav, and representatives from North Eastern Coalfields and Assam Power Distribution Company Limited.
Three miners were apprehended in the act of extracting coal and detained by the police.
Illegal power lines supplying electricity to the mines were dismantled, and electrical equipment was also seized during the operation.
"Three miners were caught red-handed extracting coal from the rat-hole mines and were detained. We also dismantled illegal electrical connections and seized various electrical equipment during the raid. We will continue such operations," stated Executive Magistrate Pritom Gogoi.
This action follows a January 16 Assam Cabinet meeting in Morigaon that mandated the permanent closure of all rat-hole mines in the North Eastern Coalfields of Assam, along with the issuance of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
This decision was prompted by a tragic incident at an illegal rat-hole mine in Umrangso in Dima Hasao district, where numerous miners lost their lives.
Despite the government's intervention, concerns remain regarding the ongoing illegal coal mining activities.
Concerned citizens, such as Ranjan Chowdhury, have publicly raised their voices against the unchecked operation of rat-hole mines in the Margherita-Ledo area of Tinsukia district.
In a recent YouTube video, Chowdhury alleged that illegal coal mining is an organized crime syndicate facilitated by corrupt politicians.
He further claimed that trucks loaded with illegally mined coal frequently travel along highways without any interference.