Lok Sabha Question No. 1824 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Assessment of Safety and Security in Coal Mines
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Supriya Sadanand Sule, Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, Sunil Dattatray Tatkare, Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1824

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 3 rd  JULY, 2019

## Assessment of Safety and Security in Coal Mines

1824.  SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

DR. HEENA GAVIT:

SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAY TATKARE:

SHRI KULDEEP RAI SHARMA:

DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- a. whether the CIL and its subsidiaries are availing services of different security agencies to assess safety and security in coal mines across the country and if so, the details thereof;
- b. whether the Government has conducted Safety Audit in all coal mines of Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries;
- c. if so, the details thereof along with the criteria fixed and the assessment made by the Safety Audit team;
- d. the deficiencies identified during the Safety Audit and the action taken by the Government to rectify the deficiencies; and
- e. the further steps taken/being taken by the Government to improve safety standard of coal mines in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF  PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, COAL AND MINES  (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

Reply (a)  : Coal  India  Ltd.  (CIL)  and  its  subsidiaries  are  availing  security  services  to  assess safety and security in coal mines across the country are as under :

Eastern  Coalfields  Limited  (ECL): ECL  avails  the  services  of  Central  Industrial  Security Force  (CISF),  Jharkhand  state  Home  Guards,  Contractual  Security  over  and  above  the departmental Security which is existing for the services of security of the mines only.

South  Eastern  Coalfields  Ltd.  (SECL): The  Departmental  security  personnel,  contractual security personnel deployed by the Security Agencies sponsored by Director General Resettlement (DGR), MoD, New Delhi and the Home Guard personnel from Chhattisgarh State are deployed based on the Security assessment undertaken by SECL management from time to time.

Western  Coalfields  Ltd.(WCL): WCL  is  availing  the  services  of  CISF  securing  Mines/ Magazines  in  Pench  and  Kanhan  and  services  of  Maharashtra  State  Security  Corporation  for providing security cover to Explosive Magazines in Maharashtra Region of WCL.

Northern Coalfields Limited NCL: In NCL, the following security agencies are deployed for security of coal mines and explosive magazines :

- I. CISF has been deployed for security of Amlohri project and two centralized explosive magazines located at Bina and Jayant (Total 428Nos. of CISF personnel).
- II. DGR sponsored security personnel are deployed for security of all mining projects/units of NCL Singrauli (Total 1637 Nos. of DGR Sponsored security personnel).

Central Coalfields Ltd. (CCL): CCL has engaged various Agencies for Security of Coal Mines. These are - CISF, SISF (State Industrial Security Force), Jharkhand State Home Guards.

Bharat  Coking  Coal  Ltd.  (BCCL): Assessment  of  security  in  coal  mines  in  BCCL  was conducted jointly by CISF & BCCL management during Re-survey,2006.

Mahanade Coalfields Ltd. (MCL): In  MCL 14 (Fourteen) DGR sponsored security agencies are engaged for providing security cover in the areas and establishments of MCL.

North Eastern Coalfields (NEC): At NEC DGR sponsored Security Agency is being deployed. Coal India Lid. (CIL): At CIL, Departmental and Private Security Agencies are engaged.

Reply (b): Yes, Safety Audit conducted for all producing mines of Coal India Limited (CIL) and its  subsidiaries  for  the  2018-19  by  multi-disciplinary  Inter  Area  Safety  Audit  teams  from respective subsidiary company.

Reply (c): Brief details of safety audit of mines along with the criteria fixed are as under:

1. Safety Audit of mine is carried out through inter-area teams of the respective subsidiary company.
2. All teams are multi-disciplinary.
3. Audit methodology consists of inspection of mine, examination of all relevant documents pertaining to mine safety, scrutiny of Safety Management Plans (SMP) and previous safety audit conducted.
4. Major objective is to assess whether all mining operations are done as per provisions safety statutes and to identify deficiencies thereof, if any.
5. To review the various systems are adopted and followed for mine safety.
6. To suggest / recommend the areas of improvement.

Reply  (d): Mine-specific  deficiencies,  if  exists,  are  identified  during  the  said  Safety  Audit. Deficiencies  are  absolutely  mine-specific  and  varies  in  each  mine.  Based  on  deficiencies observed, appropriate actions, as deemed fit, are taken.

Reply (e): Apart from complying the statutory safety provisions as laid down in the Mines Act, 1952 and the Coal Mine Regulations- 1957 and Bye laws & Standing Order framed there under, the following steps are taken by Coal India Limited (CIL) to avoid mine accidents and to improve the standard of safety:

1.  Safety  Audit  of  all  operating  mines  of  Coal  India  Ltd.  (CIL)  through  multi-disciplinary Inter-Company Safety Audit teams in 2017.
2.  Online  Centralized  Safety  Monitoring  System  'CIL  Safety  Information  System  (CSIS)' developed and uploaded in CIL website.
3.  Specialized  Training  by  SIMTARS,  Australia  on  Risk  Assessment  to  prepare  Risk assessment  based  Safety  Management  Plans  (SMPs),  Principal  Hazards  Management  Plans (PHMPs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
4.  Establishment of Geo-Technical Cell in all subsidiaries
5.  Site-specific  risk  assessment  based  SMPs  prepared  for  each  mine  of  CIL.  All  SMPs  are being monitored through ISO of each subsidiary.
6.  Principal Hazards Management Plans (PHMP) formulated as a part of SMP.
7. Site-specific, Risk Assessment based Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all Mining and Allied operations framed and implemented.
8.  Assessment  of  stability  of  OB  Dumps  and  Benches  conducted  thoroughly  by  using expertise of CMPDIL and multi-disciplinary ISO teams in most of the opencast mines.
9.   Introduction  of  Gas  Chromatograph  for  better  accuracy  in  mine  air  sampling  and  ManRiding system in UG mines having arduous travel.