SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya, on Tuesday, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the state government’s handling of compensation and relief measures for victims of the Mynsngat–Thangsko mining tragedy, in which 34 workers lost their lives and five were seriously injured.
A division bench comprising Justices H. S. Thangkhiew and W. Diengdoh noted that interim compensation had been disbursed only to the families of eight deceased workers, leaving many victims’ families without support.
The Court observed that no clear steps had been taken to compensate 15 victims from Nepal and 13 from Assam. It rejected the government’s explanation that identifying next of kin was difficult and directed authorities to coordinate with the Nepalese Embassy and concerned state officials to ensure immediate payment.
The bench stressed that such administrative hurdles cannot be used as excuses when lives have been lost in a tragedy that has “shaken the collective conscience” of the public.
While taking note of the state’s status report, the Court said, “Measures taken for compensation and other actions with regard to investigation and enquiry are not adequate to address the situation effectively. It is of absolute necessity for the State respondents at this stage, to show credibility and to instill confidence in the minds of the public, that an incident
that has shaken the collective consciousness of the citizens, is dealt with in a deserving manner to demonstrate that the Rule of Law prevails.”
The Court has directed the government to submit further details on relief measures and compensation disbursement during the next hearing scheduled for March 5, 2026.
