Mizoram mine demolition: NGT, police file suo motu case against ABCI

Aizawl: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has registered a suo motu case over the stone quarry collapse in South Mizoram’s Hnahthial district as the death toll in the fatal incident rose to 11.

The NGT on Wednesday directed seven authorities concerned in Mizoram, including ABCI Infrastructures Pvt Ltd, which currently owns the stone quarry on lease, to appear before the tribunal on November 28.
The death toll from the stone quarry collapse has risen to 11 as one more body was recovered from the site, an official said on Thursday.

The body of a 25-year-old man from South Mizoram’s Lingli district was recovered from the debris at around 8:30 pm on Wednesday, Hnahthial District Deputy Commissioner R Lalremsanga said.

He said that of the 12 people who went missing in the stone quarry collapse, 11 bodies have been recovered from the spot so far. The ages of the victims were between 18 and 49 years.
A search and rescue operation is underway to trace the last missing person, who belonged to Assam, the official said.

In all, 12 workers and other contractors of ABCI Infrastructures Pvt Ltd were confirmed trapped on Monday after they got stuck in a stone quarry at Morra village, about 23 km from Hnahthial town.
According to the district administration, the incident took place around 2.40 pm on November 14 when the workers were working on the site.

Hnahthial Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Kumar had said that thirteen people were working when a massive landslide occurred in the stone quarry and only one worker managed to escape.

Five of the dead are from West Bengal, two each from Jharkhand and neighboring Assam and one each from Tripura and Mizoram, according to a report released by the Hanathiyal district administration.

A 49-year-old man, who was earlier reported as a resident of Lingli district in Mizoram on the basis of his Aadhaar card, was living in a burro relief camp in Tripura, said Lalram Dantlunga, sub-deputy commissioner of Hanathiyal district. His body was sent to a neighboring state on Wednesday, Lalram Dantalunga said.

The Bro people, currently camped in relief camps in Tripura, have been allowed to settle permanently in the neighboring state in 2020 as per the quadrilateral agreement. Their resettlement is going on in Tripura.
The bodies of other victims have also been sent to their respective states on Wednesday, the official added.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the workers had dug too deep and disturbed the stability of the stone quarry, which led to its collapse. Lalrimsanga said five earth movers, a stone crusher and a drilling machine were also completely buried under the debris.
A police officer said that the state police has also registered a Sumoto case at Hanthial police station to investigate the incident.

Mine safety officials under the Union Ministry of Labor and Employment and Mizoram’s Geology and Mining Department visited the site on Wednesday to take stock of the situation, official sources said.