(a) the number of incidents of caving in fire and flooding of water in the Coal and other mines during the last three years, till date including the losses of life and property, State-wise and year-wise;
(b) whether one of the closed mine in the Jharkhand (Distt. Hazaribagh) had caught fire recently;
(c) if so, the reasons therefor; and
(d) the safety measures adopted to check the recurrence of such incidents?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR (SHRI VIJAY GOEL)
(a): A statement giving the State-wise and Year-wise details in regard to accidents and losses of life is enclosed. The details regarding loss of property is not available.
(b)&(c): Yes sir, a fire accident in Banagarha seam of the Kananpura Khas Colliery of M/s Central Coalfields Limited had occurred on 6.12.2002. The mine was started in the year 1983 and workings were discontinued on 28.12.1999. While discontinuing, the management sealed off all the seams except one seam, namely, Banagarha seam, which was standing on pillars. The incidence of fire occurred due to non-sealing of workings in this seam. After the incidence of fire the air supply to the working has been cut off temporarily. The management proposes to construct isolation stoppings in all the openings to deal with the problem permanently.
(d): Safety measures required to be taken to check occurrence of accidents in the mines have been laid down in the Mines Act, 1952 and the Rules and Regulations framed thereunder. These safety laws are kept under constant review and amended from time to time. The Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) also issued guidelines in the form of circulars to the management for improving safety measures. The safety provisions are required to be complied with by the mine managements. The inspecting officers of DGMS inspect the mines to oversee the status of compliance and take the following action in case of default :-
i) Warning to the delinquent..
ii) Suspension of the certificate.
iii) Modification in the method of working
iv) Action by the management against their employees on the basis of finding of the Directorate General of Mines Safety.
v) Prosecution in the court of law. Government also takes various other measures by way of organizing Conferences of Safety, Safety Weeks and declaring National Safety Awards to improve safety awareness among the miners.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1715 TO BE REPLIED ON 3.3.2003 GIVING THE NUMBER OF INCIDENT OF CAVING IN, FIRE AND FILLING OF WATER IN THE COAL AND OTHER MINES AND LOSSES OF LIFE IN THEM.
State Coal mines
2000 2001 2002
No. of casesNo. of deathNo. of casesNo. of deathNo. of casesNo. of death
Caving in/Subsidence -NIL-
Fire Andhra Pradesh 2 4 - - 1 - Chhattisgarh - - - - 1 - Jharkhand - - - - 1 - Madhya Pradesh 1 1 - - - - Maharashtra - - 1 - 2 - Uttar Pradesh - - 1 - - - West Begnal - - 1 - 1 - All India 3 5 3 - 6 -
Filling of Water
Andhra Pradesh 1 - - - - - Bihar 1 - - - - - Chhattisgarh - - - - 1 - Jharkhand - - 2 30 1 - All India 2 - 2 30 2 - Non-coal
Caving in/Subsidence -NIL- Fire Assam 2 - 1 1 - - Gujarat - - 1 3 1 - Jharkhand - - 1 4 - - Madhya Pradesh - - 1 1 - - All India 2 - 4 9 1 -
Filling of Water -NIL-