1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Coal Mines
(Conservation and Development) Act, 1974.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall come into force on such date1
as the Central Government may, by notification, appoint in
this behalf.
2. Declaration as to expediency of control by Central Government.—It is hereby declared that it is
expedient in the public interest that the Central Government should take under its control the regulation
and development of coal mines to the extent hereinafter provided.
3. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “appointed day” means the day on which this Act comes into force;
(b) “blending” means the process of intimately mixing different varieties of coal so as to provide
a mixture which on carbonisation results in coke;
(c) “coal” includes coke in all its forms but does not include lignite;
(d) “Chief Inspector” and “Inspector” mean the persons respectively appointed as the Chief
Inspector of Mines and Inspector of Mines under the Mines Act, 1952 (35 of 1952), and the
provisions of that Act shall apply to the Chief Inspector and to all Inspectors while exercising their
powers under this Act or the rules made thereunder;
(e) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
(f) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(g) “scheduled bank” means a bank for the time being included in the Second Schedule to the
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934);
(h) “railway” shall have the meaning assigned to it in the Indian Railways Act, 1890 (9 of 1890);
(i) “safety in coal mines” includes the safety of any railway situated on the surface above a coal
mine;
(j) “stowing” means the operation of filling, with sand or any other material, or with both, spaces
left underground in a coal mine by the extraction of coal;
(k) “washing” means such process or combination of processes as may be approved in this behalf
by the Central Government by which the whole or any part of the shaley and mineral matter found in
the coal is removed therefrom;
(l) “agent”, “mine” and “owner” have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Mines
Act, 1952 (35 of 1952).