Guwahati: The Assam government announced on Wednesday that authorities have identified at least 263 illegal rat-hole coal mines in the central region of the state, which fall under the jurisdiction of two autonomous councils.
The government also informed the assembly that it has confiscated over 25,630 tonnes of illegal coal over the past three years.
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In response to a question from Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi, Mines and Minerals Minister Kaushik Rai said that authorities discovered 248 rat-hole mines in the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC), which includes Dima Hasao district.
Meanwhile, 15 rat-hole mines have been located in the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, covering East Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned rat-hole mining in 2014. Despite this, illegal miners continue to extract coal using this hazardous method in the Northeast.
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Rai further clarified that miners are also extracting coal in Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, and Charaideo districts, though he did not provide specific details on rat-hole mining activities in these areas.
On January 6, a sudden surge of water flooded the illegal 3-Kilo Coal Quarry in the Umrangso area, trapping nine laborers.
After several days, authorities recovered the decomposed bodies of the miners from the rat-hole mine.
In a response to a separate query from All India United Democratic Front MLA Ashraful Hussain, Rai stated that the government had seized 25,631.98 tonnes of illegally mined and transported coal across various regions of the state in the last three years.
“The process of auctioning the coal through a legal system is underway. We have also implemented measures to curb illegal coal mining in the state. A monitoring committee, led by the DGP, has been established to oversee and prevent such activities,” he added.