Jaipur: The directorate general of mines safety (DGMS) is readying to crack the whip on 26,000 mines in Rajasthan which have not intimated it of start of operations since they have been functioning.
Of the 30,000 odd mines registered with the mining department, less than 4000 have submitted ‘form 1’ to the DGMS, which brings on record the mine owner and labourers employed in it.
This far-reaching decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the chief secretary of Rajasthan on Monday, in the light of silicosis victims unable to claim compensation, sheerly out of not knowing whom they work for.
“It was agreed that the mining department will provide us with a list of all mine leases registered with it. We will be issuing notices to all 26000-odd mines which are not on our list, starting with those in the silicosis prone districts. As the number of mines and hence paperwork and cost implications are large, we are thinking of publishing an advertisement in prominent dailies to inform mine owners both about submission of form 1 and commencement of wet drilling that can prevent silicosis,” said D.K Saxena, director of mines safety, DGMS speaking to DNA. Trouble awaits those mine owners who do not comply within a period of three months. “We will issue prohibitory orders to these mines and with the cooperation of the mining department, their rawanas will be stopped if they do not comply,” he said.
The meeting was attended by principal secretaries of the mining, labour and finance departments, secretary to CM, director mines and geology, director mines safety and representatives of the health department and Mine Labour Protection Campaign (MLPC).
Courtesy: dailybhaskar.com
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