SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday placed before the Assembly a detailed report on the tragic illegal coal mine explosion at Thangsko, East Jaintia Hills district, which claimed the lives of 33 people.
Informing the House, the Chief Minister stated that the state government has already released ex-gratia assistance amounting to ₹24 lakh to the families of the deceased, while arrangements are being made to extend necessary support to others affected by the incident.
He further said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the explosion, and seven persons allegedly involved in the illegal mining activities have been arrested so far. Government authorities have also conducted raids at the site and seized equipment used for illegal coal extraction.
According to the report, the blast occurred due to the use of dynamite at the illegal mining site. In response, five police teams along with four platoons, magistrates and senior officials were deployed to the area to manage the situation and carry out investigations.
The Chief Minister informed that, to date, 62 FIRs have been registered in connection with the incident. Police have also seized six vehicles allegedly used for transporting coal and recovered more than 11,000 metric tonnes of illegally mined coal along with mining equipment.
Additionally, the government has constituted a Judicial Inquiry Commission to conduct an independent investigation into the incident and fix responsibility.
