GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday, January 28 directed the Assam government to file an affidavit on the recent accident at an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Umrangso of Dima Hasao district by February 7.
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At least nine miners were reported to have been trapped when the mine was suddenly flooded on January 6. Several agencies were involved in rescuing the trapped miners, but only four bodies could be retrieved.
The directive came after the court took suo motu cognisance of the coal mine incident. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kaushik Goswami, directed the state government to file a detailed affidavit.
The government had earlier set up a one-man commission led by retired Justice Anima Hazarika to investigate the issue. Besides, a special investigation team was also constituted. So far11 people have been arrested in connection with the case. Besides, in subsequent action, over a dozen such illegal mines were sealed.
The National Green Tribunal had in 2014 banned rat-hole coal mining and the Supreme Court later upheld it.