Coal Mines (Conservation and Development) Act, 1974
No: 28 Dated: Aug, 26 1974
THE COAL MINES (CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT) ACT, 1974
ACT NO. 28 OF 1974
An Act to provide for the conservation of coal and development of coal mines and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Twenty-fifth Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Coal Mines (Conservation and Development) Act, 1974.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification, appoint in this behalf.
2. Declaration as to expediency of control by Central Government.—It is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that the Central Government should take under its control the regulation and development of coal mines to the extent hereinafter provided.
3. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “appointed day” means the day on which this Act comes into force;
(b) “blending” means the process of intimately mixing different varieties of coal so as to provide a mixture which on carbonisation results in coke;
(c) “coal” includes coke in all its forms but does not include lignite;
(d) “Chief Inspector” and “Inspector” mean the persons respectively appointed as the Chief Inspector of Mines and Inspector of Mines under the Mines Act, 1952 (35 of 1952), and the provisions of that Act shall apply to the Chief Inspector and to all Inspectors while exercising their powers under this Act or the rules made thereunder;
(e) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
(f) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(g) “scheduled bank” means a bank for the time being included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934);
(h) “railway” shall have the meaning assigned to it in the Indian Railways Act, 1890 (9 of 1890);
(i) “safety in coal mines” includes the safety of any railway situated on the surface above a coal mine;
(j) “stowing” means the operation of filling, with sand or any other material, or with both, spaces left underground in a coal mine by the extraction of coal;
(k) “washing” means such process or combination of processes as may be approved in this behalf by the Central Government by which the whole or any part of the shaley and mineral matter found in the coal is removed therefrom;
(l) “agent”, “mine” and “owner” have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Mines Act, 1952 (35 of 1952).
CHAPTER II
PROVISIONS RELATING TO CONSERVATION OF COAL AND DEVELOPMENT OF COAL MINES
4. Power of Central Government in respect of conservation of coal and development of coal mines.—(1) The Central Government may, for the purpose of conservation of coal and for the development of coal mines, exercise such powers and take, or cause to be taken, such measures as it may deem necessary or proper or as may be prescribed.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, the Central Government may, by order in writing addressed to the owner, agent or manager of a coal mine, require him to take such measures as it may think necessary for the purpose of conservation of coal or for development of coal mines, including—
(a) in any coal mine, stowing for safety, or
(b) the prevention of any factor which may adversely affect the conservation of coal or development of coal mine, or
(c) washing of coal with a view to beneficiating and reducing the ash-contents of coal.
(3) The Central Government may, if it is satisfied after consideration of all the facts and circumstances that the recovery of the cost of measures, if any, undertaken by it under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) in relation to a coal mine is justified, recover such cost from the owner, agent or manager of the coal mine, either wholly or partly, in the same manner as an arrear of land revenue.