CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The Opposition Voice of the People's Party (VPP) president and Nongkrem legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Meghalaya government over the recent coal mine tragedy, questioning the official death toll, the decision to call off rescue operations and the credibility of the judicial inquiry ordered into the incident.
Casting serious doubts on the figures released by the authorities, Basaiawmoit said, "We want to know exactly how many miners were there because the recovered bodies that the government has officially shown were not limited to the numbers it has given."
He said the party was independently verifying ground inputs. "We are trying to get information from local people and enquiring how many miners normally work in one coal mine. We were told that normally 60 to 70 persons is the minimum. So, if two coal mines were blasted or collapsed, do you think, as responsible leaders or public representatives, we will be satisfied with the figures given by the government?"
Seeking clarity on the basis of the government's data, he asked, "We want to know whether the government obtained these statistics from those people whom they have arrested and whether they have enquired how many miners were at the mine where the unfortunate incident took place."
Taking a swipe at the functioning of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, he alleged that the opposition was routinely stifled. "Let me be honest with you. People have seen how the government is conducting itself and how the House is being conducted. They understand that opposition parties are not given enough opportunity to raise issues concerning the people. We have tried and have followed the rules and procedures for conducting the business of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. We do not want to go much beyond that because people have already made up their minds. They have seen what this government has been doing and how we were prevented every time we wanted to speak in the House. There is a time for everything."
On the judicial inquiry commission constituted by the state government, Basaiawmoit expressed scepticism, citing past precedents. Referring to the commission probing the killing of former Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council general secretary Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, he said, "Going by the record of the outcomes of these commissions constituted by the government from time to time, including the latest commission formed to find out the reasons that led to the killing of the former Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) general secretary Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, where is the outcome? Where have we reached? Going by the record and history, we feel that we cannot expect much from this commission."
Warning that attempts to suppress facts would not succeed, he said, "There is a time for everything. There are times when the government can brush problems under wraps, but when nature decides to unveil the truth, no one will be able to brush the issue under the carpet. The time when the government could deny is over. Now everybody and the whole nation know that illegal extraction of coal was taking place in Meghalaya."
Recalling earlier disasters in the coal belt, he added, "This is not the first unfortunate incident in which precious lives have been lost due to mishaps in the coal belt area. We should not forget the time when coal mines were flooded with water; that too was a case."
Pointing to the 12-year-old ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal, he said the government could no longer plead ignorance. "To our surprise, when some ministers expressed shock that illegal extraction of coal was taking place in Meghalaya and that trucks were carrying coal, we ask: how long will you deny it? The government may deny it, but the people know it. The hills and rivers know it because they were affected by this illegal extraction of coal during the past 12 years."
Alleging a nexus, Basaiawmoit said, "When they themselves are involved in the nexus, do you think all these illegal transactions and illegal extraction, or illegal coal business, can take place without the knowledge of those in government? If the government feels that it has nothing to do with illegal coal business, then why does it not take action against the heads of the districts through which the illegal coal passes, including the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of these four or five districts? Transfer is too lenient an action after so many lives have been lost."
He also accused the government of ignoring red flags raised by Retd Justice BP Katekey, who headed a one-man committee on illegal coal mining and transportation. "The government has kept denying this for so long. This is not the first incident, but every time we raise the issue, the government denies it. This is the time when the government can no longer deny it. The government has not only denied the statements made by Retd Justice BP Katekey but has also denied our statements."
Citing field visits by party legislators, he said, "In fact, we have personally gone to those areas. One of our MLAs from Mawlai contacted the SP and went to the site where illegal extraction of coal is taking place. There is not only illegal extraction but also forceful possession of land that does not belong to them."
Terming the decision to call off rescue operations premature, he said, "It is very unfortunate that the rescue operations have been called off so quickly. Unless the government knows exactly how many miners are inside the coal mine, it should not call off the rescue operations. According to information we received from locals, they are certain that the figures given by the government are too low."
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