BILASSPUR / The 60th Company Level Bilateral Mine Safety Committee meeting was held at SECL Headquarters Bilaspur under the chairmanship of Director Technical (Operations) Shri S.N. Kapri, Director Technical (Project & Planning) Shri Franklin Jayakumar in the presence of General Manager (Mine Safety/Rescue) Shri GP Sharma, Member of Safety Committee Shri Anand Mishra (HMS), B. Dharmarao (AITUC), Sanjay Singh (BMS), Kamlesh Sharma (SEKMC), Indradev Chauhan (CITU), P. Chandrakant (CMOAI), Area General Managers and Area Security Officers of all operational areas of SECL and various heads of departments of the Headquarters.
The meeting started with the lighting of the safety lamp. After that, a two-minute silence was observed to pay homage to those laborers engaged in coal production who attained martyrdom between the last meeting and this meeting. Coal India corporate song was played in the meeting after which a safety oath was taken by all the attendees. All the visitors to the meeting were welcomed with a bouquet. While giving the welcome address, Mr. GP Sharma, General Manager (Mine Safety/Safety) provided information regarding safety. The security report was presented in the meeting through PowerPoint.
Emphasis on new technology in mines: SECL management informed that the system of man-riding system is being promoted to facilitate the movement of workers in underground mines. 3 new man-riding systems are being installed in SECL’s Khairaha and Vindhya mines, while 4 more have been tendered and an additional 2 are at the approval stage. In man riding system, instead of walking on foot, workers reach near the mine face through mechanized transportation system, which increases productivity.
As a result of the efforts being made by the company towards safety awareness, the number of serious accidents has decreased by more than 54% in the year 2023-24, while the fatal accidents have decreased by 25%.
Reflectors have been installed on vehicles traveling in open mines in night shifts, while red patrolling flags are being installed on light motor vehicles during the day. In mega projects like Gevra, Dipka, separate lanes have been created inside the mines for the operation of light vehicles so that heavy machines can move freely.
In the meeting, the members of the Security Committee discussed the Mission Sudesh started by CMD Dr. Prem Sagar Mishra and described it as very useful. Everyone congratulated team SECL for recording the highest coal production in its history of 187.4 million tonnes with an increase of more than 20 million tonnes for the second consecutive year, OBR – 323.2 million cubic meters and dispatch – 180.5 million tonnes during the recently concluded financial year 23-24.
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Sanjeev Aggarwal, Chief Manager (Mining) gave a presentation through power point and General Manager, Mine Safety and Security, Mr. GP Sharma gave the vote of thanks.
