SC asks Centre why high-powered pumps offered to Thailand is not used to rescue miners in Meghalaya

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed its dissatisfaction with the ongoing operations to rescue the men from the flooded rat-hole mine in Meghalaya. “Every second means life and death for those 15 trapped miners,” Justice A.K. Sikri said

A Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and S. Abdul Nazeer said the rescue efforts seem to uncoordinated and yielding no results.

The court asked the Centre what it has done so far. “You had wanted to send high-powered pumps to Thailand (to rescue Thai boys and their teacher trapped in a cave there). Why have you not done it here? Why?” Justice Sikri asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the Centre.

“We are not satisfied. There should be one central co-ordinated rescue effort and it is the Union of India which should do something,” Justice Sikri observed.

Mr. Mehta responded that the Central Coal Minister along with the Meghalaya Chief Minister and senior officials are monitoring the rescue and would appoint a nodal officer exclusively for the effort.

The court asked why the government had previously refused the Army’s offer to help in the rescue. “Army offered to help, but the government did not want it. Why?” Justice Sikri asked Mr. Mehta.

“Instead of the Army, we have the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force),” Mr. Mehta responded.

“But there are already a 72 NDRF personnel there, with no result,” Justice Sikri persisted.

“Instead of Army, we decided to send the Navy. Navy divers...” Mr. Mehta continued, to which Justice Sikri told Mr. Mehta that “this is a question of life and death for the miners. Something has to be done immediately”. The court asked Mr. Mehta to get instructions and come back tomorrow.

“The court is of the opinion that more of a prompt, co-ordinated and immediate operation is required to rescue the miners,” Justice Sikri observed.

The hearing started with Meghalaya counsel submitting that multi-agency rescue efforts are on since December 14. He was responding to a PIL filed by lawyer Aditya N. Prasad.

“Yet to have any results to show. We pray to God that they (miners) are all alive. But whether they are all dead, all alive, some alive or few dead, they have to be brought out of the mine,” Justice Sikri addressed the counsel.

Mr. Prasad’s lawyer and senior advocate Anand Grover said there are no results so far because everybody at the rescue site are “doing different things and there is no co-ordination”. He said the pumps used to suck the flooded mine are not powerful enough. The mine is being flooded by water flowing in from the nearby Lytein River.

The miners have been trapped in the illegal mine since December 13.