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Inside Meghalaya’s rat-hole mines: 25 dead, a race against time, and a disaster long foretold

February 06, 2026 5 min read Environment & Ecology Social Issues Polity & Governance GS1 (Society Vulnerable sections) GS2 (Governance Tribunals) GS3 (Environment Mining)
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What Happened

  • A dynamite explosion in an illegal coal mine at Mynsyngat in the Thangkso area of East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, killed at least 25 labourers in early February 2026, with the death toll reported as high as 27–34 in various accounts as rescue operations continued.
  • The mine was operating in flagrant violation of a National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban on rat-hole coal mining that has been in force since 2014 and was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2019.
  • The National Green Tribunal issued notices to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Meghalaya Chief Secretary, and other officials following the disaster.
  • Workers in rat-hole mines are predominantly informal migrant labourers, often from other states, who work without safety equipment, wage protections, or access to healthcare.
  • Rescuers faced extreme difficulty accessing victims deep inside the narrow, flooded shafts — a recurring pattern in similar disasters in the region.

Static Topic Bridges

Rat-hole mining is an informal coal extraction technique prevalent in the Jaintia and Garo Hills of Meghalaya. It involves digging narrow, cylindrical tunnels (typically just wide enough for a person to squeeze through) down to coal seams, from which workers extract coal using hand tools. Two variants exist: side-cutting (horizontal cuts along hillsides) and box-cutting (vertical shafts leading to horizontal tunnels at the base). The practice is unscientific and unregulated, carried out without surveying, mapping, or structural support.

  • The NGT banned rat-hole mining in Meghalaya in April 2014 on grounds of environmental damage (particularly severe acid mine drainage that has turned rivers like Lukha and Kopili orange-red and killed aquatic life) and grave risk to workers' lives.
  • The Supreme Court upheld the NGT ban in July 2019 but permitted "scientific mining" if conducted under a valid mining lease and proper environmental clearances — which effectively continues to be unavailable to most operators in the area.
  • Despite 250+ cases registered since March 2019, enforcement remains near-absent; the Supreme Court directed the Meghalaya government to deposit ₹100 crore as a penalty for failing to curb illegal mining.
  • Meghalaya coal falls under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which grants significant autonomous governance powers to tribal district councils — a complication for direct central enforcement.

Connection to this news: The latest deaths are a direct consequence of the persistent enforcement gap between judicial orders and ground reality in Meghalaya, a pattern the NGT highlighted when it issued fresh notices after this disaster.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) — Powers, Jurisdiction, and Limits

The National Green Tribunal was established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 to provide a specialised judicial forum for the speedy disposal of cases relating to environmental protection, conservation of forests, and enforcement of legal rights relating to the environment.

  • The NGT has civil court powers for receiving evidence, issuing summons, and enforcing its orders; it can award compensation and impose penalties.
  • Its jurisdiction covers the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 — but not the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
  • NGT orders are binding on parties and can be challenged only before the Supreme Court (not High Courts).
  • A key structural limitation: the NGT has no independent enforcement machinery — it must rely on state governments and central agencies (like CPCB) to implement its orders, creating the compliance gap visible in Meghalaya.

Connection to this news: The NGT's decision to issue fresh notices to the CPCB and Meghalaya's Chief Secretary reflects its reliance on state compliance machinery — the very mechanism that has failed to prevent illegal mining for over a decade.

Sixth Schedule and Tribal Autonomy in Northeast India

The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) provides for the creation of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. ADCs have legislative, executive, and judicial powers over subjects like land, forests, and mining within their jurisdictions. This creates a parallel governance structure that complicates the enforcement of central and state laws.

  • In Meghalaya, three ADCs operate — the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, and Garo Hills Autonomous District Council.
  • Coal mining in areas under ADC jurisdiction falls partly outside the scope of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 — a legal grey zone that mine owners have historically exploited.
  • The Meghalaya government has resisted calls for a complete transfer of mining regulation to central authorities, citing tribal land rights and economic dependence on coal income in the Jaintia Hills.

Connection to this news: The constitutional autonomy conferred by the Sixth Schedule has been a structural factor in the state's reluctance and legal ambiguity around enforcing the NGT ban — making Meghalaya's rat-hole mining crisis as much a governance and constitutional issue as an environmental one.

Key Facts & Data

  • Location: Mynsyngat, Thangkso area, East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya
  • Deaths: At least 25–27 workers (rescue operations ongoing at time of report)
  • NGT ban year: 2014 (National Green Tribunal)
  • Supreme Court uphold of ban: July 2019
  • Fine imposed on Meghalaya government: ₹100 crore (ordered by Supreme Court for failing to curb illegal mining)
  • Cases registered since 2019: Over 250 cases against illegal coal mining in Meghalaya
  • Primary environmental impact: Severe acid mine drainage — rivers Lukha and Kopili turned acidic, aquatic life devastated
  • Workforce profile: Informal migrant labourers, predominantly from other states, working without safety gear
  • Regulatory gap: Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 does not fully apply in Sixth Schedule ADC areas
  • Previous major disaster: 2018 — 15 miners trapped and killed in flooded rat-hole mine in Ksan, East Jaintia Hills