Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: Meet rat-hole miner Munna Qureshi

Rat-hole mining is a method of manual drilling. It is carried out by skilled workers and is mostly common in Meghalaya.

When all the efforts since November 12 failed to rescue 41 workers trapped inside Uttarkashi’s collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, a team of rat-hole miners was ultimately summoned. The operations hit a setback when high-tech drilling machines failed to penetrate nearly 60 metres of rock.

This seven-member team of rat-hole miners from Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi manually burrowed through the remaining 10-12 metres of rubble and paved the way for freedom for the workers. Rescuers, including tunneling experts from India and abroad, NDRF, SDRF and dozens more were involved in the marathon operation that went on for 17 days and over 400 hours.  However, the final rescue could become possible due to the efforts of rat-hole miners. Munna Qureshi, a rat-hole miner from Delhi, was the first one to reach the other side.

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Speaking to the media after the operation, Qureshi said that he will never forget the respect the trapped workers gave to the rat hole miners.

“I removed the last rock. I could see them. Then I went to the other side. They hugged us, lifted us. And thanked us for taking us out. We worked continuously in the last 24 hours. I can’t express my happiness. I have done it for my country,” he said.

He said four teams worked in eight-hour shifts. “At a given time, three workers were inside the pipe tunnel. Our job was to remove the debris as the pipe was being pushed through the debris,” he said.

Monu Kumar, Wakeel Khan, Feroz, Parsadi Lodhi, and Vipin Rajout were the other rat-hole miners who made it to the trapped workers.

Admiring the rat-hole miners, industrialist Anand Mahindra wrote on X, “And after all the sophisticated drilling equipment, it’s the humble ‘rathole miners’ who make the vital breakthrough.”

"It’s a heartwarming reminder that at the end of the day, heroism is most often a case of individual effort & sacrifice," he posted on X.

What is rat-hole mining?
Rat-hole mining is a method of manual drilling. It is carried out by skilled workers and is mostly common in Meghalaya. The term “rat hole" refers to the narrow pits dug into the ground, typically just large enough for one person to descend and extract coal. After digging the pits, the miner drops down into the holes using a rope and bamboo ladders. This method is usually used to extract coal.

Why was it banned?

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the practice in 2014. “It is also informed that there are umpteen number of cases where by virtue of rat-hole mining, during the rainy season, water flooded into the mining areas resulting in death of many… individuals including employees/workers,” the tribunal observed.