Draft Colliery Control (Amendment) Rules, 2026 — mining-plan compliance and suspension (G.S.R. 865(E))

7687 GI/2026 (1) REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99 xxxGIDHxxx xxxGIDExxx EXTRAORDINARY PART II—Section 3—Sub-section (i) PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY सं. 794] No. 794] NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026/ASVINA 15, 1948 CG-DL-E-13102026-277095 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—SEC. 3(i)] 1.

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THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—SEC. 3(i)] MINISTRY OF COAL NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 1st October, 2026.

G.S.R. 865(E).—The following draft of Colliery Control (Amendment) Rules, 2026, which the Central Government proposes to make, in exercise of the powers that are conferred by Section 18 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957 (67 of 1957), is hereby published for informing all persons likely to be affected thereby and notice is hereby given that the said draft rules shall be taken into consideration on or after the expiry of a period of thirty days from the date on which the copies of the Gazette of India containing these rules are made available to public;

Objections and suggestions which may be received from any person within the period specified above will be considered by the Central Government.

Objections and suggestions, if any, may be addressed to the Under Secretary (P&S-I section), Ministry of Coal, Government of India, Room No. 4618, Zone 6, 4th Floor, GPOA-3, Africa Avenue, Netaji Nagar, New Delhi 110023. The envelope may kindly be superscripted on top with:

“Comments/suggestions on the draft amendment to rules contained in Colliery Control Rules, 2004”.

Objections and suggestions may also be sent through email in MS-Office Word format at . The subject of the e-mail should be “Comments/suggestions on the draft amendment to rules contained in Colliery Control Rules, 2004”.

DRAFT AMENDMENT RULES GSR .............(E).⸺ In exercise of powers conferred by Section 18 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (67 of 1957), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules to further amend the Colliery Control Rules, 2004, namely:—

1. Short title and commencement.⸺ (1) These rules may be called the Colliery Control (Amendment) Rules, 2026.

(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

2. In the Colliery Control Rules, 2004 (hereinafter referred to as principal rules), after clause (b) of sub- rule (1) of Rule 2, the following clauses shall be inserted, namely:- “(ba) ‘Assistant Coal Superintendent Grade-I’ means the person appointed as such by the Central Government under the provisions of the Ministry of Coal, the Coal Controller’s Organisation, Assistant Coal Superintendent Grade I (Group ‘A’ Post), Recruitment Rules, 2025.

(bb) ‘Assistant Coal Superintendent Grade-II’ means the person appointed as such by the Central Government under the provisions of the Ministry of Coal, the Coal Controller’s Organisation, Assistant Coal Superintendent Grade II (Group ‘A’ Post), Recruitment Rules, 2025.”

3. In the principal rules, after clause (d) of sub-rule (1) of Rule 2, the following clause shall be inserted, namely:- “(da) ‘Coal Superintendent’ means the person appointed as such by the Central Government under the provisions of the Ministry of Coal, the Coal Controller’s Organisation, Coal Superintendent (Group ‘A’ Post), Recruitment Rules, 2025”

4. In the principal rules, after clause (e) of sub-rule (1) of Rule 2, the following clause shall be inserted, namely:- “(ea) ‘Deputy Coal Controller’ means the person appointed as such by the Central Government under the provisions of the Ministry of Coal, the Coal Controller’s Organisation, Deputy Coal Controller (Group ‘A’ Post), Recruitment Rules, 2025.”

5. In the principal rules, after clause (f) of sub-rule (1) of Rule 2, the following clauses shall be inserted, namely:- (fa) ‘Mine Closure” means the comprehensive process of closing and securing a mine upon completion of mining activities. This involves a sequence of actions and strategies designed to safeguard the environment, local communities, and mining site, mitigating and addressing social impacts, executing land reclamation and restoring the site to an acceptable level.

(fb) ‘Mine Closure Plan’ means a formal document that includes financial provisions and activities to be implemented from an early stage and continued throughout the operation of a mining cycle to minimize adverse long-term environmental, physical, social and economic impacts; and to create a suitable landform to an acceptable level.

(fc) ‘Mining plan’ means a Mining Plan duly approved for development of coal deposit in the area concerned. It will have the same meaning as given in the MMDR Act, 1957.

(fd) ‘Regional Head’ means the Coal Superintendent or any other officer not below the rank of the Assistant Coal Superintendent Grade-II duly authorised as such in writing by the Coal Controller to head the Regional Offices of Coal Controller Organization.

6. In the principal rules, after clause (i) of sub-rule (1) of Rule 2 , the following clauses shall be inserted, namely:- “(ia) ‘Surveyor’ means Survey officer or Senior Mines Surveyor duly authorised as such in writing by the Coal Controller.” THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—SEC. 3(i)]

7. In the principal rules, after Rule 2, the following rule shall be inserted, namely:- “Rule 2A - Jurisdiction of Officers:

(1) The Coal Controller may prescribe the powers and functions along with limits of the territorial jurisdiction of the officers subordinate thereto.

(2) For the purposes of these Rules, the following officers shall be subordinate to Coal Controller:

i. Deputy Coal Controller ii. Regional Head iii. Coal Superintendent iv. Assistant Coal Superintendent v. Surveyor.”

8. In the principal rules, after Rule 9, the following rules shall be inserted, namely:- “Rule 9A: Competent Authority: The Coal Controller or an officer of the Coal Controller Organisation authorised in writing by the Coal Controller shall be competent to determine the compliance of a mining plan for the purposes connected with the Act and the Rules and except for issues that are specifically governed by the Director General of Mines Safety or other statutory regulatory bodies.

Rule 9B - Mining operations under mining lease– (1) No holder of a mining lease shall commence or carry out mining operations in any area except in accordance with the mining plan.

(2) If the mining operations are not carried out in accordance with the mining plan, a competent authority shall inform the colliery owner about the violation and direct him to rectify the violation within a specified time.

(3) If the violation is not rectified within the specified time period, the competent authority may issue a show cause notice of 15 days to the colliery owner as to why the mining operations should not be suspended. If no satisfactory reply is received within 15 days of the receipt of the show cause notice, the competent authority may suspend all or any of the mining operations and may permit continuance of only such operations as may be required to bring the mining conditions in conformity with the mining plan.

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in this rule, where the competent authority is of the opinion that, having regard to the interests of public safety, protection of the environment, or for preventing any imminent or irreparable harm, it is expedient so to do, he may, at the time of intimation or anytime thereafter, for reasons recorded in writing, temporarily suspend all or any of the mining operations and permit carrying out of only such operations as may be required to bring the mining conditions in conformity with the mining plan.

(5) The competent authority may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, revoke the suspension upon the rectification of the violation, compliance with the directions issued by the competent authority, or for any other reason that the authority deems fit in the interest of justice.

Rule 9C :- Submission of Annual Declaration:

The Company Board of the project proponent, and in case the project proponent is not an incorporated company, the owner of the colliery shall submit a declaration to the Coal Controller annually that all mining operations for the coal/lignite mine have been carried out as per the approved mining plan and all applicable laws.”

5. In the principal rules, after Rule 16, the following shall be inserted, namely:- “Rule 17:- Revision:

(1) Any person aggrieved by an order made by the Deputy Coal Controller in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Rule 9B may, within thirty days of the communication of the order to him, apply to the Coal Controller for a revision of the order.

(2) Any person aggrieved by an order made by an officer subordinate to the Deputy Coal Controller, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Rule 9B may, within thirty days of the communication of the order to him, apply to the Deputy Coal Controller for a revision of the order.

Explanation: No further revision shall lie before the Coal Controller against an order passed by the Deputy Coal Controller in exercise of powers conferred on him by this sub-rule.

(3) An application for revision under sub-rules (1) and (2) may be entertained after the said period of thirty days if the applicant satisfies the Coal Controller or the Deputy Coal Controller, as the case may be, that he had sufficient cause for not making the application within time.

(4) Every order against which a revision application has been preferred shall be complied with pending receipt of the decision of the Coal Controller or Deputy Coal Controller, as the case may be.

Provided that the Coal Controller or the Deputy Coal Controller, as the case may be, may suspend the operation of the impugned order during the pendency of the revision application.

(5) On receipt of an application for revision, the Coal Controller or Deputy Coal Controller, as the case maybe, after giving a reasonable opportunity of being heard to the parties, may confirm, modify or set aside the impugned order.

(6) Every application submitted under the provisions of this rule shall be accompanied by a bank draft for ten thousand rupees as application fee drawn on a scheduled bank in the name of Pay and Accounts Officer, ‘Coal Controller Organization’ payable at New Delhi or by way of a bank transfer to the designated bank account of the Coal Controller Organization.” [F. No. PS1-12012/7/2024-PS1] RUPINDER BRAR, Addl. Secy.

Note:- The principal rules were published in the Gazette of India, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i) vide number G.S.R. 540(E), dated the 25th August, 2004 and subsequently amended vide G.S.R. 546(E) dated the 9th August, 2021, vide G.S.R. 917(E) dated the 23rd December, 2025, vide G.S.R. 710(E) dated the 6th August, 2026, and vide G.S.R. 797(E) dated the 9th September, 2026.

Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064 and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054.

KUMER CHAND MEENA Digitally signed by KUMER CHAND MEENA Date: 2026.10.13 14:03:59 +05'30'