Guwahati, Jan 16 (NationPress) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared on Thursday the formation of a judicial enquiry commission to investigate the Umrangso coal mine tragedy where four workers lost their lives and at least five others are feared deceased.

The specialized team has not yet succeeded in rescuing any of the trapped workers alive. The CM also stated that the government plans to implement a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) aimed at completely banning rat hole coal mining in the state.

Sarma made these announcements following a cabinet meeting held in the Morigaon district.

Furthermore, an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh will be provided to the families of the four deceased workers.

Additionally, the families of the other five trapped workers will also receive the same amount, regardless of their status.

"An amount of Rs 10 lakh will be given to the next of kin of the four deceased individuals. Likewise, the next of kin of the five remaining trapped individuals will also receive 10 lakh compensation, whether they are found alive or dead.

"A judicial enquiry commission led by Justice Anima Hazarika, a former judge of the Gauhati High Court, will be established to investigate the incident and assign accountability to responsible officers, individuals, and institutions. An SOP will be developed to enforce a total ban on rat hole mining in the state," he elaborated.

Moreover, Sarma mentioned the creation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to thoroughly investigate the entire situation.

He stated: "An SIT will be set up to investigate the entire incident based on the FIR already filed regarding the matter. The SIT will be supervised by Retd Justice Anima Hazarika."

To recap, the bodies of three deceased workers were recovered from the mine last Saturday.

Earlier, another body was also found.

One of the three recovered workers was identified as Ligen Magar, a 27-year-old from the Dima Hasao district. His body was discovered floating in accumulated water within the mine after Navy divers attempted to recover him, an official reported.

The other two identified bodies retrieved on Saturday were Khusi Mohan Rai, 57, from Magargaon in Kokrajhar district, and Sarat Goyary, 37, from Thailapara, Batashipur in Sonitpur district.

In total, at least nine workers have been identified as being trapped in the coal mine located in the Dima Hasao district over a week ago.