Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, said worker safety should not be compromised in coal mines due to budgetary considerations.
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Virtually participating in a two-day workshop on mines safety, organised jointly by the NLC India Limited (NLCIL) and the All India Bharatiya Khadan Mazdoor Sangh, Mr. Joshi said budgetary allocation for safety was not an issue at all. The workshop aimed to inculcate safety procedure and practices among employees of mining companies functioning under the Union Coal Ministry.
In his keynote address, Rakesh Kumar, CMD, NLCIL, explained the NLCIL’s way of inculcating safety procedures in its mines and thermal stations. He also informed that the NLCIL was regularly winning safety awards for “less injury rate” from the Central and State governments.
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K. Lakshma Reddy, member, Standing Committee on Safety in Mines, in his special address, appreciated the NLCIL for its “Zero Fatal Accident” track record.
Sudhir Ghurde, general secretary, and Ashish Murthy, treasurer of the Sangh, Raghupati Peddi Reddy, Deputy Director, Mines Safety, Government of India, also spoke at the inaugural function.
The technical session of the workshop was led by Kaushal Kishore Anand, Executive Director (Safety), NLCIL, Mr. Reddy, and other experts. The participants were also taken to Mine-II, Neyveli, where they got practical knowledge on mines safety and operations.
Around 100 delegates participated in the workshop from NLCIL, subsidiary companies of Coal India Limited, such as Northern Coalfields Limited, Western Coalfields Limited, Eastern coalfields Limited, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, South Eastern Coalfields Limited, Central Coalfields Limited, Bharat Coking Coalfields Limited, Singareni Collieries Company Limited and Central Mine Planning & Design Industrial Limited.