Satish Puri addresses the media in Dhanbad on Wednesday. (Gautam Dey)

The chief of Directorate General of Mines Safety, Satish Puri, briefed the media on the achievements of the key regulatory body in 2010-11 on Wednesday in Dhanbad.

Director-general Puri, accompanied by senior officials, gave a detailed break-up of the activities as well as aspirations of the body, its mission and vision.

“Altogether, 7,718 inspections were carried in coal, metal and oil mines spread across the country during the financial year 2010-11 to prevent mishap and ensure implementation of safety standards. The target was 7,700 inspections,” he said.

He added that efforts had been made to enforce amendments in legislation in view of the changes in the mining sector.

“Amendments suggested by the DGMS in the Mines Act (1952) were been cleared by the ministry of law and justice and also by the cabinet secretariat in 2010, after which they have been laid before Parliament. A standing committee of Parliament has visited Dhanbad and other parts of the country in this regard in 2011,” Puri said.

He said the amendments included making outsourcing companies accountable for mishap or non-compliance of safety standards.

The regulatory body added two new zones — Udaipur and Bangalore — to its existing ones at Sitarampur, Dhanbad, Ranchi, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad and Nagpur.

“Regional centres were opened in Varanasi, Gwalior, Raigarh, Ahmedabad, Surat and Bangalore,” Puri said. At present, there were 29 regional hubs. Puri added that 10 training courses on safety had been introduced for 236 officials between August 2010 and March 2011.