‘Mines that gave marbles for Taj are no death traps’

Rights activists claim an average of one accident a day occurs in the mines. Reports from Jodhpur earlier this month said illegal mines in the belt had reached dreadfully close to the rail tracks.

Many of the mines in Makrana, nearly 230 km from here in Nagaur district of the state, have been facing the threat of closure due to the activism of rights bodies and the media. Over ten mines have already been closed down over the past few weeks while the Directorate General of Mines safety has given notices to 150 other mine owners.

‘‘We admit some lapses have occurred on our part, but the government should try to educate us instead of closing down the mines. More than four lakh people are dependent on the mines for their livelihood,’’ MMMS president Deepak Bansal said.

More than 80 per cent of mine owners had already adopted labour safety measures, he added.

Bansal said geo-technical studies conducted by the government in the area had suggested that the mines does not pose any threat to the safety of trains on the Jaipur-Jodhpur route.