Parliament Question: Safety and monitoring of abandoned coal mines in Raniganj coal belt

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2586 ANSWERED ON- 16.03.2026 SAFETY AND MONITORING OF ABANDONED COAL MINES IN RANIGANJ COAL BELT 2586 SHRI SAMIK BHATTACHARYA: Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state: (a) the number of abandoned and closed coal mines under Coal India subsidiaries in the Raniganj–Asansol region; (b) whether such abandoned mines have been secured, sealed or reclaimed as per safety norms; (c) whether illegal mining is occurring inside or around such abandoned mines; (d) whether responsibility for securing these mines lies with Coal India, State authorities or district administration; and (e) the action taken against officials for failure to prevent illegal extraction from abandoned mines? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COAL & MINES (SHRI SATISH CHANDRA DUBEY) (a), (b) & (c): There are no abandoned or closed coal mines under subsidiaries of Coal India Limited in the Raniganj–Asansol region. However, at present, there are 33 discontinued mines in Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) of which 27 mines are located in West Bengal in the Asansol–Raniganj region, while the remaining 6 mines are located in Jharkhand. It may be noted that "Discontinued mines" mean such working in a mine as have been discontinued for any reason and are inaccessible or rendered inaccessible but are likely to be worked again. These mines can be re-opened as per provisions of CMR (Reg.-6) and Colliery Control Amendment Rule-2021 (Rule no.9 (ii)). (d) & (e): Whenever instances of illegal mining or coal theft come to notice, ECL reports the matter to the local authorities and lodges formal complaints with the concerned police stations. ECL also takes immediate preventive measures, such as filling and dozing of illegal pits, and conducting joint inspections with security agencies. At the same time, it is important to note that maintenance of law and order, including prevention of illegal activities and taking legal action against offenders, primarily falls within the jurisdiction of the State administration and the Police authorities. On its part, ECL continues to extend full cooperation by sharing information, facilitating and assisting in technical measures such as filling of abandoned pits. *****