However, lack of coordination between the agencies ensured that there was no mechanism to airlift the experts and their heavy equipment to the mine site
One month on and all efforts by multiple agencies failing to bring any news about the 15 trapped miners inside an illegal rathole coal mine in Meghalaya, the Supreme Court on Friday approved heavy equipment and experts to be roped in the rescue mission hoping for a miracle that some among them may still be alive.
Since December 13 when the first rescue team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) first landed at the mine site in East Jaintia Hills, submerged pumps with a power of 100 horsepower (hp) employed by Coal India Limited, Orissa Fire Services and Kirloskar Group have managed to pump out one crore litres of water from the mine into which water from a nearby river is continually seeping in. To add to it, Navy divers who went deep up to almost 100 feet have been unable to trace the trapped men. The absence of light inside the rathole mine and narrow links between several such mines situated in the surrounding area have brought all efforts of the rescue team to a nought.
Realizing the impediments faced by the Centre and Meghalaya government in extracting the persons, the petitioner lawyer Aditya Prasad informed the Court how his interactions with National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad; National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee and private research institutes such as Planys Technology, Chennai has shown that they have equipment and experts to map out the depth, width and water level inside the mines. However, lack of coordination between the agencies ensured that there was no mechanism to airlift the experts and their heavy equipment to the mine site.
The Court directed Centre's Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to examine the suggestions of the petitioner and explore the possibility of the Indian Air Force airlifting the equipment and men to the spot where the rescue is taking place. Petitioner informed that he was in talks with Indigo Airlines which is willing to take the equipment but not men.
Underwater rovers available with these agencies could go deep into the pit and with cameras attached could provide clues about the presence of men trapped inside. The bench of Justices AK Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer said, "Miracles do happen. We do not know some may still be alive." The Court fixed the matter for hearing next Friday.
RAT-HOLE TRAP
- The mine, atop a hillock fully covered with trees in Jaintia Hills district, was flooded when water from the nearby Letein river gushed into it, trapping 15 miners.
- Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4-ft high, for workers to enter & extract coal
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