Shillong: Acting on specific inputs gathered through drone surveillance, Meghalaya police carried out a raid on an illegal coal mine in the Umthe area under Umpleng Police Outpost in East Jaintia Hills district on Wednesday.
During the operation, officials detected one coal mine that was actively operating in violation of existing environmental and mining regulations. Nine labourers were found engaged in illegal mining activities at the site.
The raid was conducted in compliance with the ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal on illegal coal mining and transportation, and in accordance with directions issued by the High Court of Meghalaya for strict enforcement against unlawful mining in the state.
Approximately 55 metric tonnes of illegally extracted coal were seized from the site in the presence of an Executive Magistrate, following due legal procedures.
All nine labourers were apprehended and taken into custody for necessary legal action under relevant provisions of law. An FIR has been registered, and further investigation is underway to identify those responsible for financing and operating the illegal mine.
Police in East Jaintia Hills reiterated their commitment to stringent enforcement measures, asserting zero tolerance towards any form of illegal mining in the district.
The latest action comes amid heightened vigilance against illegal coal mining in Meghalaya, particularly in East Jaintia Hills, which has witnessed repeated instances of unlawful coal extraction despite the continuing ban.
Notably, a total of 33 people died following a deadly explosion that occurred on February 5 at an illegal coal mining site in the Mynsngat–Thangsko area of East Jaintia Hills District.
A suo-motu FIR has been registered in connection with the incident at Khliehriat Police Station, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the DIG (Eastern Range) has been constituted to investigate the case.
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Seven persons have been arrested so far in connection with the blast.
The state government has also constituted a judicial commission of inquiry to probe the incident and its wider implications.
The commission is being headed by Justice (Retd.) R. S. Chauhan, former Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand and Telangana High Courts, with former IPS officer H. Nongpluh and former IAS officer Peter Dkhar as members. The commission has been given six months to submit its report.
