GUWAHATI, Jan 18: Ex-gratia cheques were on Saturday given to families of miners whose bodies have been recovered and those still trapped in the flooded Umrangso coal mine, even as the dewatering process of the mine continued.
Assam Mines and Minerals minister Kaushik Rai handed over the cheque of Rs 10 lakh each to the next of kin of the four miners whose bodies have been recovered.
The families of the five miners who remained trapped inside the mine were given cheques of Rs 6 lakh, with the remaining amount to be handed to them later, an official statement said.
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The coal mine in Kalamati area of Umrangso in Dima Hasao district was flooded on January six when water had gushed in suddenly, trapping nine workers inside. Four bodies have been recovered since then in the rescue operations.
The state Cabinet had decided on Thursday that the ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh will be given to the next of kin of all nine miners, including those whose bodies have been recovered and those who remained trapped.
An amount of Rs 6 lakh has been given from the Assam Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and the remaining Rs 4 lakh from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.
Speaking at the cheque distribution programme held at Umrangso police station premise, Rai conveyed condolences to the bereaved families on behalf of the chief minister.
“It is really painful that such an unfortunate incident has occurred where lives have been lost. Although value of life is immeasurable and the ex-gratia that we are offering today is nothing in comparison to lives lost, the small amount is only to support the bereaved families and show our solidarity,” he said.
The minister said the dewatering process in the mine is still going on and that around 1 crore litre of water is extracted daily.
He added that as per another Cabinet decision, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is being constituted to enquire into the entire incident on the basis of the FIR already registered on the matter.
The Assam Cabinet had also announced a judicial enquiry into the incident, with retired High Court judge Anima Hazarika to head the one-person panel. She will also be monitoring the police SIT probe.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said after the cabinet meeting that if the dewatering continues at the current rate, it will take about 25 to 60 days for the process to be completed, which will continue till the ‘logical conclusion’ is reached.
Seepage of fresh water from underground streams was replenishing the water, slowing down the dewatering process, he had said. (PTI)
