SHILLONG, FEB 15: The Meghalaya government has named retired Justice RS Chauhan as chairman of a Judicial Inquiry Commission to look into the Mynsngat-Thangsko coal mine blast and broader illegal mining concerns in the state.
The commission’s members will be retired IPS officer H Nongpluh and retired IAS officer PS Dkhar.
Its mandate covers not just the Thangsko incident but also why illegal coal mining persists in Meghalaya, the feasibility of a financial package for miners, and possibilities of a presidential exemption for traditional mining practices.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang on Febraury 12 ordered constituting a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the blast inside an illegal coal mine.
The SIT, headed by Dy. Inspector General of Police (Eastern Range) Vivekanand S Rathore, will ascertain causes and circumstances, probe violations of court orders and NGT directions, and submit time-bound findings.
The DGP’s order added that the SIT will ensure the investigation is brought “to its logical conclusion and…justice in accordance with law.”
Search and rescue were called off on February 9 after assessment teams concluded no survivors remained.
Four people have been arrested, and authorities say thousands of metric tonnes of illegal coal have been seized amid intensified raids on labour camps in coal-bearing areas.
The NGT’s 2014 ban on rat-hole mining and coal transport in Meghalaya remains in force, but illegal operations persist.
Also Read: East Jaintia Hills SP transferred after fatal illegal mine explosion
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