Illegal mining ‘sad part of any government’: Meghalaya Congress MP Saleng Sangma on coal mine blast

A deadly explosion at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district has once again exposed deep failures in enforcement and accountability, with at least 18 miners killed and several others feared trapped.

Congress MP Saleng A Sangma described the incident as a moment of collective grief for both families and the state, while warning that such accidents have become disturbingly routine. “It’s a very sad part of any family and any government,” he said, adding that illegal coal mining accidents were “happening every now and then”.

The blast occurred in the Mynsyngat area of Thangsko (Thangskai) in East Jaintia Hills district, a region long associated with hazardous rat-hole mining practices. Sangma said district officials and police had ample scope to intervene. “District officers and police could have interfered… whether they had any safety equipment or were doing red-hole mining,” he said, questioning why basic checks were never enforced.

Criticising what he called repetitive and inadequate government responses, Sangma argued that suspensions alone do little to prevent future deaths. “This particular response was already said when so many people died… This is not the only one,” he said, asking who had enabled illegal mining to continue. “Who are the officers, who are the ministers, who are the MLAs who are involved in this particular illegal racket?”

He stressed the human cost of official inaction, noting that the exact number of victims and those still trapped was yet to be confirmed. “What will be the fate of the family whose husband has died?” he asked. Calling for tougher action, Sangma said officials responsible should be “terminated, not just suspended, because the life of that particular labourer is already gone”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for each of the 18 families who lost loved ones in the blast.

Confirming the casualties, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said 18 people had died and one injured miner had been shifted to a civil hospital for treatment. He said two cabinet ministers had been sent to the site and that the government was in constant touch with the district administration and police.

“We will not tolerate such actions, and strict measures will be taken against anyone found responsible for today’s incident,” the chief minister said.

The tragedy has renewed questions about why illegal coal mining continues despite repeated fatalities, and whether meaningful accountability will follow beyond official statements and compensation.