- Parent Category: 2019
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The rescue operations for the 14th miner trapped in coal mines of East Jaintia Hills which happened on 13th December 2018 have failed in all aspects. The rescue teams as well as public have put blame on the State Government and District Administration in failing to provide tools and equipments for the operation. It has been over two weeks since the incident and families of the victims still throng to the site with hopes to see their bread earner one more time. Till filing this report, neither the Chief Minister nor the Minister of Disaster, Government of Meghalaya paid a visit to this area. Though the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been involved since 14th of December 2018, yet it’s Chief, Shri Sanjay Kumar has not yet visited the site. It is clear that the State Government does not have the equipment or the skills to deal with a disaster like this, even with the involvement of NDRF, the lack of proper equipment and tools such as high powered pumps have failed the rescue operation in every way. Instead of using 100 hp pumps, the NDRF were only supplied with ten (25 hp pumps) out of which eight of them broke on the third day of rescue. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Inspector N. Nonglang said that with the current scenario of the water, only high-powered pumps can help the teams to reduce the water level in the mines. The Government of Meghalaya and District Administrative should collectively take blames regarding this failure to save the lives of those 14 nameless miners in East Jaintia Hills.