Status note: Applies to opencast mines. Amlabad is an underground mine.
DGMS (Tech) Circular 09 of 2026 — Carbon Phase Transition Rock Breaking Technique (CPTBT) in opencast mines
Summary
Addressed to owners, agents and managers of coal and metalliferous OPENCAST mines. The Carbon Phase Transition Rock Breaking Technique, a carbon-dioxide-based blast-free method, uses the rapid phase transition and expansion of liquid CO2 into gas inside a high-pressure tube placed in a borehole to fracture the surrounding rock mass without conventional explosives. Trials at one Indian mine were encouraging. Because no detonation is involved, induced ground vibration and the risk of fly rock are substantially reduced, making the technique useful where structures or sensitive installations lie within the danger zone of blasting, and where hot strata or similar conditions make premature initiation of explosives a risk. The circular sets out the technical guidelines mine management must follow when adopting CPTBT in opencast mines.
Reproduced for public reference from the official source. Government regulations are in the public domain; always verify the current in-force text against the official publication.