Gauhati HC seeks report on steps taken to curb illegal rat-hole mining in Assam

The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday asked the Assam government to explain what steps it has taken to stop illegal rat-hole mining in the state, reported Live Law.

The court issued notices to the chief secretary and officials from the Mines and Minerals Department, Environment and Forest Department, Home and Political Department, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Directorate of Geology and Mining and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council. They have been asked to respond by February 7.

Rat-hole mining is an unscientific practice that involves digging narrow tunnels to extract coal where miners need to crawl on hands and feet or lay flat to navigate. The practice has been banned for over a decade in Assam’s neighbouring state of Meghalaya.

The court’s direction came as part of a suo motu public interest litigation prompted by the recent deaths of miners in Dima Hasao district. The court also expressed concern about illegal rat-hole mining in Karbi Anglong district, noting that the practice “is either going unnoticed or despite having knowledge of the same, the authorities are not taking any action to stop or close those rathole mines”.

On January 6, nine workers were trapped in a 300-foot-deep coal mine in Umrangso town after sudden flooding. More than two weeks later, only four bodies have been recovered.

After the incident, the…

Read more