Over 200 workers exit Ledo as crackdown on illegal coal mines intensifies
Labourers from districts like Goalpara, Dhubri, and Nagaon queued at Ledo station to return home on Monday;
Labourers were seen lining up at the ticket counter of Ledo railway station.
Margherita, Jan 20: Over 200 coal mine workers vacated Ledo in Assam’s Margherita sub-division on Monday following intensified action against illegal mining operations in the area.
Labourers, many of whom had travelled from districts such as Goalpara, Dhubri, Nagaon, Morigaon, and Hailakandi, were seen lining up at the ticket counter of Ledo railway station to return to their hometowns.
“Several workers came here from various parts of the state to work at the coal mines. But as everyone else is leaving, we are also heading back home,” said Saddam Hussain, a worker from Dhubri district.
Workers reportedly left Ledo on an intercity train bound for Guwahati after authorities cracked down on illegal rat-hole mining operations in the area.
“We came here for coal mine work, but since the mines are shutting down, we have no choice but to leave,” added a labourer from Goalpara.
The exodus follows a directive from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who, during a recent cabinet meeting, ordered immediate action against illegal coal mining to prevent incidents like the Umrangso coal mine crisis.
In the aftermath of the crisis, Assam Director General of Police GP Singh visited Margherita, Ledo, and Lekhapani to investigate illegal mining activities. Singh directed the shutdown of several illegal rat-hole mines in the region.
On January 18, the Margherita administration, in collaboration with local police, Coal India, and the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), destroyed 13 rat-hole mines in Namdang. Authorities also seized mining equipment during the operation.
