On Day 16 of the rescue operation to extricate 41 workers from a collapse in a tunnel being bored through a mountain in Silkyara in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, both rescue teams and machinery had hit a wall of stone, and could not progress further.

That is when someone had the bright idea of bringing in a much-maligned group of tunneling experts. That is how 12 "rat-hole miners" stepped in and completed the rescue operation successfully. They carried out the remaining few meters of the digging and manually cleared the debris, resulting in all 41 workers being pulled out safely on the evening of November 28, 17 days after they were first trapped. 

Their role in the rescue seems all the more significant as the work they do was banned by the National Green Tribunal as far back as in 2014.

Rat mining is a process that involves the digging of small pits, and leading from that, narrow tunnels just below the ground, into which workers enter to extract coal. As this method resembles the burrowing of holes by rats, the tunnels are referred to as "rat holes". This type  of mining is mostly reported to take place in Meghalaya and Assam.

Banned in 2014

In 2014, the All Dimasa Students Union and the Dima Hazao Dist. Committee petitioned the National Green Tribunal about the unregulated rat-hole mining in Meghalaya's Jaintia Hills.

The group said extraction of coal has been taking place in all three regions of Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya, however its intensity was most in the Jaintia Hills. It said mining activity in Jaintia Hill is a small scale venture controlled by individuals who own the land.

In this method the land is first cleared by cutting and removing the ground vegetation and then digging square pits upto where coal seams become visible. Thereafter, tunnels are made into the seam sideways from the edges of the pit. The miners crawl into these narrow shafts, in which they cannot stand. They bring out the coal into the pit using a conical basket or a wheel barrow manually. 

The petition stated that  the coal from the tunnel or pit is taken out and” dumped on nearby un-mined area, from where it is carried to the larger dumping places near highways for its trade and transportation.”

“Finally, the coal is carried by trucks to the larger dumping places near highways for its trande and transportation,” the NGT was told.

After hearing the argument, the bench noted that “….we are of the view that if in the entire State of Meghalaya such illegal and unscientific operations of rat-hole mining are taking place, the same shall also be put to an end in the interest of people of the area and also people working in the mines for their safety as also for the protection of environment.”

The court then directed the state authorities to ensure that “rat-hole mining/illegal mining is stopped forthwith thoughtout the State of Meghalaya and any illegal transport of coal shall not take place until further orders passed by this Tribunal.”

NGT orders are binding, but are rarely enforced. And the practice continued. 

In 2015, in another order related to the same case, the NGT noted “rampant, illegal, unscientific and life threatening mining activity, particularly rat hole mining, has been going on in the State of Meghalaya for years now.”

It mentioned an incident in 2012 where 30 labourers were trapped in a “rat hole” mine in the South Garo Hills(Meghalaya). Only 15 of the workers came out alive.

The bench in it order said, “As it is practical and admitted case before us that illegal mining, particularly Rat hole mining, is still being carried on in various parts of the State of Meghalaya, despite clear orders issued by the Tribunal, which have not been even disturbed on Appeal by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.”

The tribunal issued directions, directing the Director General of Police, Chief Secretary, concerned Secretary of the State Government… to ensure the enforcement of the orders of the Tribunal in regard to “complete prohibition of illegal, unscientific and unregulated rat hole mining in the State of Meghalaya without delay and default.”

In 2019, again an order by NGT said “in-spite of banning rat hole mining, the illegal mining has continued.”

Uttam Langthasa, President of All Dimasa Students' Union Dima Hasao Dist Committee which filed the plea before the NGT in 2014 told Awaaz that even though the practice was banned by NGT in 2014, it still persists. “It is still going on,” he said, adding that the group hasn't approached the NGT again.

Saviours in Uttarakhand

Even though the rat-hole mining is banned, the miners were the heroes of the Uttarkashi rescue operations.

“We were all emotional and had tears in our eyes when we met each other. It is our regular work, but there was pressure as the entire nation had high hopes,” Munna Qureshi, the first rat miner to meet the trapped workers, said. He added that they worked for a straight 26 hours to finish the job.

The government praised the rat miners for doing a "phenomenal job". They dug 10 metres manually in less than 24 hours.

"Rat mining may be illegal, but it is the rat miner's talent and experience which is being used, it is their talent, capability which is being used," National Disaster Management Authority member Lt. Gen. (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said.