Question : Accidents at Mines

(a) the details of mining accidents reported during each of the last three years and the current year;
(b) whether the Government has provided adequate fire Safety and security systems to combat any such fire accidents and other dangers arising out in Mines;
(c) if so, the details thereof including the safety measures taken by the Government for fire safety and security in various mines in the country;
(d) the various steps taken by the Government to adhere and comply with International fire safety standard in the mines to protect mine workers; and
(e) the funds allocated, disbursed and spent on the safety and security of mines in the country during the said period?

(a): Under the Constitution of India, safety, welfare and health of workers employed in mines are the concern of the Central Government (Entry 55-Union List-Article 246). The objective is regulated by the Mines Act, 1952 and the Rules and Regulations framed thereunder. These are administered by the Directorate-General of Mines Safety (DGMS), under the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment. Apart from administering the Mines Act and the subordinate legislation thereunder, DGMS also administers some other allied legislation, including the Indian Electricity Act. As per the information received from Director General of Mines Safety (DGMS), the number of mining accidents reported from different mines in the country during the last three years and the current year is given in the Annexure-I. The Ministry of Labour and Employment is the concerned Ministry dealing with the subject of mines safety through DGMS.

(b) & (c): The Government has provided adequate fire safety and security systems to combat fire accidents and other dangers arising out in mines. Adequate provisions to deal with the safety issues pertaining to fire in coal, metalliferous and oil mines have been made under regulations 116 -122 of the Coal Mines Regulations, 1957, regulations 119-123 of the Metalliferous Mines Regulations, 1961 and regulations 65-72 of the Oil Mines Regulations, 1984 respectively. Compliance of the above provisions in mines is checked during regular inspections carried out in mines by DGMS.

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(d) : In addition to the above provisions, following detailed guidelines have been issued by the DGMS for addressing the hazards through risk analysis based “Safety Management System/Plan (SMP)” and for dealing with the emergency situations in mines, which, among others, are also very much relevant for the fire hazard:
i. DGMS(Tech.)(S&T) Circular No. 13 of 2002 titled “Safety Management System – A guideline for implementation”;
ii. DGMS (Tech)(S&T) Circular No. 02 of 2011 titled “Safety Management System - Provision for auditing and review”;
iii. DGMS (Tech)(S&T) Circular No. 5 of 2016, titled “Integrated approach for development of Safety Management Plan for coal and metalliferous mines”; and
iv. DGMS (Tech)(S&T) Circular No. 8 of 2016, titled “Emergency Management Plan for Indian coal and metal mines”.
The proactive approach of “Safety Management System” enables the mine management to address the site-specific dangers by pinpointing the actual problem, which is in line with the present international practices. Also, “Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan” facilitates to reduce the response time to save life and property in case of emergency. The concepts of “Safety Management System” and “Emergency Preparedness and Management Plan” are pursued by DGMS.
(e): DGMS uses the funds allocated by Government of India to ensure safety and security of all miners of India by conducting regular inspections, enquiries etc. to ensure that all mines are carrying out their operations under the legal provisions of t he Mines Act, 1952 and rules and regulations made thereunder. The funds allocated, disbursed and spent by DGMS during the last three financial years are given in Annexure-II.