Representative picture of coal mining.

A team of legislators from the opposition Congress Legislature Party (CLP) will pay a visit on Friday to the coal mine in East Jaiñtia Hills (EJH) district where more than 13 miners have remained trapped since December 13, even as Congress president, Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at Prime Minister, Narendra Modi over the incident, saying, “PM struts about on Bogibeel Bridge posing for cameras, but his government refuses to organize high pressure pumps for the rescue operation.”

The rescue operation has stopped at present due to want of more power pumps to drain out water which is flooding the coal mine at Ksan near Lyteiñ river in East Jaiñtia Hills district.

The operation by over 70 NDRF personnel was suspended on  December 22 and the East Jaiñtia Hills district administration has written to the Coal India Limited requesting for more power pumps so as to resume the rescue operation.

Congress MLA from Mawsynram constituency and the CLP secretary, H.M. Shangpliang on Wednesday informed that a team of CLP members would visit the coal mining site on December 28 (Friday).

Meanwhile, Congress president, Rahul Gandhi took to twitter to hammer the NDA government and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi over the stoppage of the operation to rescue the trapped miners inside the coal mine in East Jaiñtia Hills district.

Gandhi also asked the Prime Minister to save the miners.

“15 miners have been struggling for air in a flooded coal mine for two weeks. Meanwhile, PM struts about on Bogibeel Bridge posing for cameras. His government refuses to organize high pressure pumps for the rescue. PM please safe the miners,” Gandhi stated in his twitter handle.

The Congress at present has 19 CLP members in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly following the demise of Congress MLA from Selsella constituency, Clement Marak recently.

Earlier, Congress MLA from Rajabala constituency, Azad Zaman had visited the coal mining site in East Jaiñtia Hills as some of the miners who were trapped hailed from areas under his constituency in the plain belt of West Garo Hills district.