According to the Meghalaya government, nearly 86 people have been working on the rescue effort since December 14
As many as 15 miners are trapped in a 370-foot-deep illegal rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13. Although the operation to rescue the miners began a day after they went missing, little progress has been made since.
Multiple teams involving those from NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), Navy and firefighters are trying to reach the miners. However, even on day 22, divers from the Navy and the NDRF could not resume the search operation for the 15 trapped miners as they could not go inside due to the high water level. The water level in the main shaft is still above the safe diving limit of 30 meters.
According to the Meghalaya government, nearly 86 people have been working on the rescue effort since December 14, including employees of state-controlled Coal India Ltd, the world's biggest miner of the fuel.
The Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction regarding the rescue operation. Holding that "prompt, immediate and effective" operation is needed to rescue the trapped people, the court said "there should not be any delay as it was a question of life and death”.
A bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, to apprise it by January 4 the steps which the government intends to take in the matter.
"As the Union, you should do something now. You take the help of Army, which has not been done yet. They (Army) are ready and they have volunteered also," the apex court said, issuing notice to the Centre on a PIL seeking effective and best rescue measures.
Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for petitioner Aditya N Prasad, told the bench that an adjoining mine was connected with a river and the authorities were using pumps of only 25 horsepower(hp) to flush out the water.
He said Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (KBL) had sent water pumps of 100 horsepower(hp) during the rescue operation in Thailand last year.
"We need a central coordinating machinery to deal with such situations," Grover said, claiming that authorities have not taken appropriate steps.
He claimed that persons who have no prior experience in dealing with this type of situation have been sent for rescue operation in Meghalaya.
The PIL also sought a direction to the Centre and other authorities concerned to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) for rescue operations in "mines and other similar conditions".
It sought directions to the Centre and the state to utilise the services of the technical wing of the Indian Armed Forces — the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force — in the rescue operation immediately.
(With inputs from PTI)
