SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong today acknowledged reports claiming the death of three local labourers in an illegal coal mine at Thangskai, East Jaintia Hills, on December 7th.
However, he emphasized that these reports are currently unconfirmed by official sources.
”As of now, we have not received any concrete information regarding the veracity of this news, and I have instructed the Deputy Commissioner to investigate and provide an immediate report on this incident,” Tynsong stated.
This potential incident is a grim reminder of the state’s past mining disasters and highlights the persistent dangers workers face in these banned operations.
The Deputy CM stressed the government’s unwavering commitment to stamping out illegal mining, especially in light of these recurring tragedies.
Tynsong reiterated that the government’s machinery is on high alert to monitor and act on any information regarding illegal coal extraction.
Meanwhile, police authorities have strongly refuted the claims, stating that initial enquiries found no evidence to support the incident.
The claims, which alleged the labourers were quickly and secretly removed at night, prompted the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of East Jaintia Hills, Shivansh Awasthi, to announce he would seek an immediate report from the police.
“Yes will ask report from police,” Awasthi stated on Monday, adding, “No such complaint or info received in my office.”
Similarly, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Jaintia Hills, Vikhas Kumar, unequivocally denied the reports, labeling them as a “rumour.”
“The information is incorrect,” the SP stated. “Since yesterday, after seeing that ‘rumour,’ he dispatched the team to enquire from the rangbah shnong (village head) of that particular place and the nearby villages, but no such thing happened.”
Authorities maintain that there has been no official confirmation of any such fatality or mine collapse in the area.
