As many as 11 miners succumbed inside a mine near Abbottabad where the entrance was blocked by a big boulder. The rescue operation, hampered by non-availability of earthmoving machinery, took 48 eight hours and this time was enough for stranded miners to lose their lives. Miners’ security and lack of appropriate rescue machinery has always remained a critical issue in our country. The miners, people who do mucking inside mines, are one of the poorest and uneducated segments of our society. Unaware of security measures to be adopted inside mines, they work hard for meagre sum of money, just to keep their bones and flesh together, with great perils encompassing their lives.
Mines Act, promulgated in 1923, need various modification and onus must be put upon mine owners to provide security apparatus to miners to ensure their safety. Recently, the rescue operations carried out in Brazil indicate how human lives are respected in other countries. The 11 poor miners who lost lives due to mine collapse and delayed rescue activities show how inhumane we are. The government should pay reasonable monetary compensation to the families of these deceased miners.
IFTIKHAR MIRZA
Islamabad