Mining activities in India may be traced back to pre-Vedic era. However, the Arthshastra by Chankya Kautilya has deliberated on the mines and minerals. The words like Akaradhyaksha (the superintendent of mining) and Khanyadhyakha (chief inspector of mines) are very aptly detailed.
As the utilization of copper, silver and gold are found in abundance is our scripture and so is the use of weapons made of alloys predominately by steel. Availability of these materials must have been out of mine ores and use of coal or wood or charcoal for purifying those ores to convert them into metals must have been used.
Thus, mining activities were of a high order throughout the Hindu and Muslim rules in India. However, documentation of mining laws and regulations, which was in existence, is very difficult to trace.
With the establishment of the British rule and gradual increase of the mining activities, steps were taken for suitable legislative measures for guidance and control on Mining process in India.
Many names are worth mentioning. Few names which come to the fore are Lord Cross, the British Secretary of State in 1890 who forwarded a copy of International Labour Conference held in Birlin recommending to legislate the laws for mining and James Grundy as the first Inspector of Mines in 1894.
The first Indian Mines Act was enacted in 1901 only after a shaft accident in the Kolar Gold Field killing 52 persons in 1895 and 47 persons killed in 1899 in the Khost Coalfield in Baluchistan (now in Pakistan).
Various Rules were framed in 1904 and 1906. Statutory Certificates for management of mines and procedure for granting competency certificates to manage a mine was started in the year 1906.
Experience of Mining was given more weightage and little on the theoretical aspect of Mining.
The Act, 1901 was repealed and the Indian Mines Act, 1923 was enacted.
This story is from the December 2019 edition of Coal Insights.
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This story is from the December 2019 edition of Coal Insights.
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