Politicians have a lot to answer for
Meghalaya mining mishap: Stop the private loot of resources
Last week, the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction with the rescue efforts made by the state government to trace the 15 miners trapped in rathole mine in Meghalaya. Along with expressing displeasure, the SC should also have asked two questions. One, how is rat-hole mining continuing in the state despite the 2014 ban on it by the
National Green Tribunal? Two, did the state’s top politicians lie in court in December when they denied that rat-hole mining was continuing in the state despite the ban? There are several reasons why this primitive and dangerous form of extraction is still practised across Meghalaya. It is cheap (no technology is used and rescue equipment and safety protocols are not in place); it has the blessings of the state’s politicians; it also has local community support since there are few employment opportunities in the area and there is an abundant supply of migrant labour . These mines are privately owned and it is not clear how many exist.
As things stand now, only a miracle can save the miners. If they don’t come out alive, the state’s politicians will have blood on their hands. They must accept responsibility for the tragedy because their administrative oversight and hunger for personal profit are responsible for this disaster. There have been enough warnings for them to stop this. In 1992, 30 mine labourers in South Garo Hills were caught in a similar flood, killing at least 15 miners. Many other cases, say activists, have gone unreported in the media because the places are so remote and inaccessible. Last month, two prominent social activists were attacked and almost left for dead when they tried to document the socioeconomic loss due to rat-hole mining.
This problem of administrative oversight cannot be tackled unless mining-affected communities themselves have enough financial incentives to keep an eye on such illegal mining. But unfortunately even the 2018 draft national mineral policy does not talk about community rights over mineral resources, even though it speaks about “sustainable mining”. Many would call that an oxymoron.