HT Correspondent
MARGHERITA, Sept 4: On Monday morning, another tragic incident occurred at the coal mines located at Tirap Colliery in Ledo, as a coal miner lost his life while attempting to steal coal. The deceased coal miner has been identified as Suraj, a resident of Bordumsa in Tinsukia district.
The lifeless body of the young miner was discovered by local residents at Tirap Colliery in Ledo. Following the incident, coal mafias allegedly attempted to conceal the body, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
This unfortunate incident is not an isolated one, as several coal miners, including individuals like Pranjal Moran, Nayan Phukan, Dipen Aley, Rupam Das, Kartik Gwala, Bijay Munda, and many more, have met untimely deaths while engaging in coal extraction through rat hole mining at Tirap, Tikak, Bargolai, Namdang, and Tipong colliery under NEC Coal India Ltd. in Margherita.
It is worth noting that two notorious coal sardars of Ledo, Osman Goni and Joinal Ali, have allegedly recruited youths from various regions of Assam to work in illegal rat hole mining. Tragically, many of these young miners have lost their lives due to methane gas explosions and landslides in the coal-rich Patkai hills.
In several instances, the bodies of the deceased miners have been disposed of by coal mafias, leaving the grieving families without the opportunity to perform last rites for their loved ones.
Concerned members of the Margherita region have raised questions about the role of the Margherita police, Margherita sub-divisional administration (civil), and NEC CIL Margherita officials. They question how it has been possible for individuals to enter the coal mines for illegal extraction for many years, despite the presence of numerous security forces deployed at the NEC CIL Margherita coal mines.
