Government Notifies Colliery Control Rule Changes to Ease Mine Openings

29 Dec 2025 CW Team

The Government has recently notified the Colliery Control (Amendment) Rules, 2025, simplifying the approval process for opening coal and lignite mines and strengthening ease of doing business in the coal sector. The amendment revises provisions under the Colliery Control Rules, 2004, to remove procedural redundancies while retaining regulatory oversight.

Under the earlier framework, mine owners were required to obtain prior permission from the Coal Controller Organisation for opening a coal or lignite mine, as well as for opening individual seams or sections of a seam. Approval was also mandatory if a mine remained non-operational for 180 days or more.

The amended rules dispense with this requirement by revising Rule 9, transferring the authority to approve mine, seam or section openings to the board of the concerned coal company. The notification was issued on 23 December 2025 and is expected to reduce mine operationalisation timelines by up to two months.

As safeguards, approvals by company boards can be granted only after obtaining requisite clearances from central and state governments and statutory bodies. Companies are also required to inform the Coal Controller Organisation of mine openings, while entities other than companies will continue to route approvals through the CCO.

The reform places accountability at the highest corporate level while maintaining statutory checks, and is expected to accelerate coal production, improve operational efficiency, and enhance confidence in India’s coal regulatory framework.

Infrastructure Energy

09 Mar 2026

BMW Industries partners with IOCL for PNG supply at Bokaro plant

BMW Industries has entered into a strategic partnership with Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) for the supply of Piped Natural Gas (PNG), reinforcing its commitment to adopting cleaner and more efficient energy sources for its operations.The agreement was signed at the Eastern Region Pipelines (ERPL) headquarters in Kolkata. The partnership is expected to support the company’s upcoming manufacturing facility in Bokaro by facilitating the use of natural gas as a primary energy source.According to the company, the adoption of PNG will help enhance operational efficiency while also contributing to ..

Bombay Realty Secures RERA for Three ICC Tower in South Mumbai

Bombay Realty, the real estate arm of Bombay Dyeing and part of the Wadia Group, has received Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) certification for Three ICC – Wing A, the latest luxury residential tower at Island City Center in Mumbai’s Dadar.The RERA registration marks a key milestone in the development timeline and reinforces the company’s focus on regulatory transparency, timely project delivery, and high construction standards.Following the success of One ICC and Two ICC, the upcoming Three ICC tower represents the next phase of the Island City Center development. The project ai..

Flender launches India’s largest wind gearbox test rig in Walajabad

Flender has inaugurated a 13.5 MW wind turbine gearbox test rig at its Walajabad facility near Chennai, marking the largest installation of its kind in India. The new facility is expected to strengthen the company’s manufacturing and testing capabilities while supporting the growing demands of the wind power sector in both domestic and global markets.The test rig was inaugurated on March 5 in the presence of Andreas Evertz, Group CEO, Flender; Lars Wiegemann, Vice President Wind Gears, Flender; and Vinod Shetty, CEO, Flender India, along with key industry customers and stakeholders.The insta..