Guwahati: Following directions from the High Court of Meghalaya, the East Jaintia Hills district administration has intensified enforcement measures against illegal coal mining in the area, days after a blast at an unauthorised mine in the district.
The district administration deployed five enforcement teams made up of Executive Magistrates, police personnel, and officials from the Directorate of Mineral Resources. These teams confiscated nearly 3,197 metric tonnes of illegally mined coal from nine sites in Umlawang and another 351 metric tonnes from four locations in Umthe.
In a separate drive conducted earlier, around 3,356 metric tonnes of coal were seized from eight spots along the Sakhain–Thangsko road, along with mining tools and equipment.
Officials also recovered explosive materials during the operations. Sixty-three detonators were seized from Umpleng Bazar, leading to the arrest of three individuals. At Rangad, authorities recovered a carton containing 204 gelatine sticks. Additional coal stockpiles measuring about 153.4 metric tonnes and 22.3 metric tonnes were discovered at two different sites.
Temporary shelters believed to be used by illegal miners were located and dismantled. East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said that 30 cases linked to illegal coal extraction, storage, and transportation have been registered so far, with more legal proceedings, including FIRs, currently in progress.
To prevent further risks and assist enforcement efforts, the District Magistrate imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in affected areas. Similar restrictions were enforced in West Jaintia Hills district, banning illegal rat-hole mining, unauthorised coal movement, and allied activities across the region.
Meanwhile, no additional bodies were recovered on Sunday from the site of the powerful dynamite blast at the illegal rat-hole mine in Mynsngat village under the Thangsko area. The confirmed death toll remains at 27.
Search and rescue operations continued with teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Special Rescue Team, police, and district administration conducting extensive inspections of the affected mine areas. Officials said operations would resume again the next morning to ensure no sections were left unchecked.
Deputy Commissioner Manish Kumar said rescue efforts are ongoing but acknowledged the difficulty in confirming how many people were inside the mine at the time of the explosion, as illegal operations do not maintain official records.
Accounts from migrant workers at the site suggest that around 17 individuals or bodies may still be trapped, though this information has not yet been verified.
Nine survivors who were injured include Jamil Ahmed, Shanki Shylla, Deb Malakar, Dawa Sherpa, Lalit Magar, Raju Tamang, Ramesh Basnet, Mon Bahadur, and Korna Mondal.
Post-mortem procedures are being conducted at Shillong Civil Hospital on the bodies recovered from the Thangsko mining site, where 13 fatalities have been confirmed so far.
Separately, officials said monetary relief totalling Rs 24 lakh has been released to eight affected households, while claims from other families are awaiting completion of formal verification.