Sindh orders stopping coal mining amid heavy rains

KARACHI: The Sindh government has ordered the contractors to immediately stop coal mining in the districts of Jamshoro and Thatta to save the lives of miners from any calamity, which could be harmed due to heavy monsoon rains.

The directives to this effect were issued by the Sindh government’s Director-General of Coal Mines Development on the orders of Sindh Energy Minister, Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh. The Sindh government ordered to immediately suspend coal mining work after the tragedy earlier in the week when eight miners their lives due to flooding of a private coal mine in the Jhimpir area, following heavy monsoon rains.

The department warned that the mining permits of those mining operations violating the directives would be cancelled as per the Sindh Coal Mining Concession Rules-2022 if their owners did not suspend the mining work.

In a statement issued on Friday, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh said that a private company owned the coalmine in Jhimpir that was flooded by heavy rains. He said the relevant district administration had been asked to lodge a criminal case against the loss of the precious lives of the coal miners. Sheikh said that due penal action would be launched against the owner and contractor of the coal mine for negligence that endangered the lives of the miners. He said that a probe committee had been formed to investigate the tragedy. The Sindh Energy Minister said the probe committee comprised the DG of Coal Mines Development, the Chief Inspector of the Mines, and representatives of the miners.

He said the initial reports indicated that the 12-year-old boy killed in the incident was the son of one of the miners. Sheikh said according to the bereaved father he was present at the mine’s mouth along with his son when the flooding caused the boy to fall inside the mine.

The minister said the probe committee would determine whether the account of the accident given by the father of the deceased boy was true or else the boy was already inside the mine at the time of the incident as it was a case of child labour related to the coal mining. Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, also took cognisance of the boy’s death and asked Sindh Energy Minister to conduct a probe into the incident.