Something like the movie ‘Tumbbad’. The difference is that here the merchant does not give gold but a piece of coal. There is no greed here. There is a fire in the stomach. There is helplessness. There is poverty. In Assam, people who came to extract two pieces of coal from the earth’s womb are stranded. Their whereabouts are unknown for the last five days in the ‘rat tunnels’ of coal 300 feet below the ground. The area near Umrangso in Dima Hasao district of Assam is known as Assam Quarry. The illegal coal mine in this hilly area has been flooded. Government figures show that nine people are missing. Today is the fifth day of the operation. The heartbeats are increasing with every passing day. What NDTV India reporter Ratandeep saw and felt after going to the accident site was eye-opening. Read through their eyes to see how the battle to save lives is going on amidst all the challenges in this remote area of ​​the country.
Dima Hasao is a hilly district of Assam. The Dimasa community is in majority, which is clearly reflected in the name of the district. Dima falls within Hasao Autonomous District Council. To some extent, the district looks after its own administrative system. The place where this incident took place is known as Assam Query. The particular area where this accident took place is called Kalamati Coal Quarry.
Photo Credit: Rescue workers descending into a 310 feet deep coal mine.
Coal syndicate… everything is going on
This area comes under Mines and Minerals of Assam. The Autonomous Council gives permits to extract coal on the hills of Dima Hasao. However, the Assam government is calling Kalamati Coal Quarry an illegal coal mine. There have been reports in the local media about a huge syndicate of illegal coal mining running in this entire area. The nearest city to this area is Umrangso. It is about 25 kilometers away from the mine site. But there is no way to reach the coal mine from the city. You will have to go off-roading to reach there. You will be able to travel a distance of 25 kilometers only if you have a 4 by 4 wheeler. A normal vehicle will not be able to run on this route. You reach the mine in about two to two and a half hours.
25 kilometer road like ‘rat hole’ opened
After all, why is this road not built? This question arises in the mind many times. A big reason is whether the absence of roads would suit the coal traders? If there is no road, then there is complete safety for illegal coal mining! Obviously this is the reason. This 25 kilometer journey is like entering the territory of a syndicate. This 25 kilometer route sometimes seems like an open rat hole. Don’t know where he is going. Many mysteries are hidden.
In Kalamati, Assam, coal mines look like stains on the earth.
Where is this water coming from?
Somehow the path got cut and we reached the place where the rescue operation was going on. There it was seen that the coal mine was filled with water. The water was being taken out. But the water is not coming out. As much water is being taken out, the same amount is filling inside. What is this secret after all? Where is this water bursting from? Rescue teams also look shocked. One reason that seems to be happening to everyone is that perhaps water has been connected to some natural source in the mine. A huge dam has been built over the Kopili river just at the base of the hill. Probably not its water! Experts have many types of questions in their mind. Amidst all these challenges, the battle to save lives is going on. The Navy is fighting a different battle. Its expert divers dive into the water. Suspense remains floating in the air for some time. And then seeing the soldiers returning empty handed, a feeling of despair begins to prevail.
This is what mines look like from Google Earth!
time is slipping away
The challenges are many times greater than any battlefield. 300 feet mine pit. So dark, acid water on top. The robotic instruments of the divers are also responding. To save lives, it is necessary to draw water in every situation. Every possible effort is being made for this. Coal India pumps have also been airlifted. Starting these pumps after airlifting is also a task. This is also taking time. And amid all this, time is slipping away. Hopes are fading.
every possible effort to save life
All in the dark, no map
After all, where could those nine people trapped in this coal mine be? This question always comes to mind when I look at the black hill in front. One thing that becomes clear after talking to experts and rescue teams is that everything is going on like shooting in the dark. There is no blue print of how far these tunnels will go inside and in which direction. How can it even happen? The most dangerous work in the world, which is called rat mining, continues like this. And especially when it is operating secretly and illegally.
Mysterious Rat Hole Trap
In fact, the method of extracting coal in this remote hilly area of ​​Assam is of ancient era. If I explain it to you, it is like a big pit. The depth will be around 310 feet. Consider this as the door to the tunnels. There are four tunnels on the surface of this pit. It is called rat hole. These rat holes have penetrated into the earth in a way similar to the way a rat digs a hole. No fixed direction. And from each tunnel many other tunnels emerge. It is impossible to find out how far they go and in which direction. There is no map of it. There is no record. No one to tell. It is difficult to predict where people trapped in this network of tunnels can be found.
It’s dirty, but it’s a business
The biggest thing is that no geological and hydrological survey of this entire area has been done. Is there any source of water among these coal mines? There is no information about whether it can be linked to the dam lake. This business has been running for years. This business of coal mines, both illegal and legal, is continuing. Neither the Assam government nor the District Council, which grants permits, ever conducted any survey of this area.
Even the dead bodies of those poor people were not found…
This is not the first incident in coal mines. In 2018, a similar incident had happened at Kasan place in Jaintia Hill region of Meghalaya, adjacent to Dima Hasao. 15 people were trapped in it. The rescue operation continued for two months. Water could not come out. Two bodies were definitely found. Later the operation had to be stopped. Neither the Centre, nor the state, nor the local administration, anyone ever learned from these accidents. People forgot everything. Those who were going to die were very poor. Those who work there are so poor that they risk their lives to earn Rs 2,000 a day. Because this money is very important for their life.
Those living corpses at the rescue site
And those who are crying behind all this, their family members, are still crying. The family members have been sitting hungry and thirsty for four days. He looks lost with stony eyes. Big officers are there, but no one has time to console these living dead bodies. So this is the scene of this incident that I lived. Cannot say how long this operation will continue. Like a farmer, what two months? The prayer is that those 9 return alive from the tunnels. But every passing day is breaking the courage. Will lessons be learned from this incident? Probably not. Someone may find the way to Assam Quarry like this next time. God forbid I have to come back here.
