BENGALURU: To control casualties in mining operations and to bring about discipline, the State Government has urged the Centre to revise laws and policies pertaining to mining.Mines and Geology Department and the State Government have asked the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the Centre to make it mandatory for all mines, regardless of size and type of mineral, to obtain environmental clearance.
A qualified person authorised by the Director-General of Mines Safety should be asked to oversee every mine, they have demanded. “Now, large mining firms and those involved in the extraction of major minerals are governed by the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority. But this is not the case with smaller mines that are vulnerable to such blasts.,” a senior official said.
The file on the suggested changes has been pending with the Centre and MoEFCC since February. “Major mining firms deploy a qualified person for audit of operations. But with small mining units, the supplier of gelatin sticks is also contracted for blasting, leading to untoward incidents. Unlicensed mines are being surveyed and listed. Once MoEFCC agrees, a state government order follows on changes in laws,” the official said.