Assam environmental activist flags rat-hole coal mining along Arunachal border

An Assam-based environmentalist has flagged Meghalaya-like rat-hole ember mines operating on the State’s borderline with Arunachal Pradesh, advising the authorities to prevention the eco-sensitive ember loop by upgrading 5 reserved forests successful the country to wildlife sanctuaries.

In a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, submitted via Golaghat District Commissioner Parag Kumar Kakati connected Monday (February 16, 2026), greenish activistic Apurba Ballav Goswami said poaching and rampant ember mining airs a sedate menace to the reserve forests adjacent the 231.65 sq. km. Dehing-Patkai National Park straddling Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. A rainforest, this parkland is often referred to arsenic the ‘Amazon of the East’.

Rare flora and fauna

He said 5 reserved forests — Tinkopani, Tipong, Tirap, Saleki, and Makumpani — nether the Jagun scope of Digboi wood part should beryllium declared arsenic wildlife sanctuaries for the conservation of uncommon taxon of flora and fauna there.

“As amerciable ember mining continues successful Jagun, Lekhapani, and Margherita wood ranges, these reserved forests volition beryllium mislaid to poaching and mining successful the coming days. I anticipation that the Chief Minister volition acceptable an illustration by upgrading these reserved forests to sanctuaries,” Mr. Goswami wrote.

Environmental activists successful eastbound Assam person been campaigning against the “coal mafia”, which has been “destroying the biodiversity” of the Patkai upland range, of which the Dehing-Patkai National Park is simply a part. The range, on Assam’s borderline with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, extends to Myanmar.

Activists accidental determination are much than 200 rat-hole and open-cast ember mines successful Tipong Colliery country of the Patkai Mountains. Many of these are illegal.

This comes successful the backdrop of a blast successful an amerciable rat-hole ember excavation successful Meghalaya that killed 30 miners connected February 5. A judicial enquiry committee has been constituted by the Meghalaya authorities to analyse the tragic incident.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned rat-hole mining successful April 2014, but large-scale mining activities person continued successful East Jaintia Hills successful Meghalaya, which has much than 22,000 rat-hole excavation openings.