The Supreme Court is hearing a plea seeking urgent steps to rescue 15 miners trapped inside an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13.


The Supreme Court asks the Meghalaya government what steps it has taken to rescue the 15 miners, who are trapped in an illegal flooded coal mine in East Jaintia Hills since December 13 last year.


The Meghalaya govt submits before the SC that the state is taking steps to rescue the trapped miners. The state government replied, "72 NDRF personnel, 14 Navy personnel and Coal India personnel are working since Dec 14."

The SC asks, Then, why are they not successful? The Court tells the Meghalaya government that it is not satisfied with the rescue operations.


Reprimanding the Meghalaya govt, the SC said the miners rescue should be prompt and effective. "It's a question of life and death for the trapped miners and every second counts. The Solicitor General must update the court by Friday," the bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul, said. 

The PIL filed by Aditya N Prasad also sought a direction to the Centre and other authorities concerned to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure for rescue operations in mining.

The rat-hole mine, located on top of a hillock fully covered with trees in East Jaintia Hills district, had got flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it, trapping the miners.


Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually three-four feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat holes" as each just about fits one person.


Image: Indian Navy personnel prepare diving equipment before entering the coal mine in Meghalaya on December 30. Pic: Reuters