Shillong: Opposition parties, including the Voice of People’s Party (VPP) and Congress, have demanded the resignation of CM Conrad K Sangma, holding him morally responsible for one of Meghalaya’s worst mining tragedies in the coal-rich East Jaintia Hills, where at least 27 miners were killed in a dynamite explosion inside illegal rat-hole coal pits.VPP president and legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said repeated fatalities in coal mine accidents highlight a profound failure of governance. “How can the chief minister continue to lead the state when, time and again, tragic incidents involving loss of lives occur in coal mines? How many more precious lives must be lost? Hundreds have already died over the years,” he asked.
Ardent said Thursday’s explosion was not an isolated incident, citing past disasters caused by mine flooding, collapses, and other hazards.Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) also held CM Sangma morally and administratively responsible for the tragedy at an illegal coal mine in Mynsyngat, Thangsko area, under Umpleng Police Outpost.MPCC general secretary Sanjay Das said in a statement that the CM, who also holds the mining and geology portfolio, must step down to allow for a truly independent and impartial inquiry into the disaster.Congress further demanded accountability at the highest political level and called for an independent judicial or court-monitored inquiry into illegal mining operations in East Jaintia Hills and across the state. It also sought immediate action against officials who ignored, enabled, or failed to prevent such unlawful activities.
