The Mines Division is presently functioning with twelve Regional Offices. These offices have been established to provide our services for the customers engaged in various mining industries. With the recent amendments to the Mines and Minerals Act # 33 of 1992 wider powers have been given to the Bureau to control illegal mining activities. The main work includes site inspection, test blasts, inquiring public complaints, issuing of licenses for mining, trading, exploration and transport and minimizing illegal mining activities.
Services available
- Mine inspection (mobile service – issuing licenses, technical advices)
- Expert services ( blasting techniques, license upgrading, safety methods, test blasts, crack surveys)
- Awareness programs (Awareness programmes for public officers & license holders, Workshop for people engage in mining activities, Exhibitions)
- Rehabilitation Programmes (motivating mines to safeguard the environment and supervising the environment protection and rehabilitation activities carried out by mines).
Bureau Days
‘Bureau Day’ is a regular service provided by the Bureau at a number of District Secretary’s Offices every Wednesday of 02nd and 04th week of each month for miners in respective areas. The miners can lodge their applications for various mining activities and also receive the licences issued to them for which they have applied earlier.
Usually these services are provided by our regional offices.
Environmental Clearances
All prescribed mining and mineral extraction projects gazetted under the National Environment Act should obtain environmental clearance by submitting either an Initial Environmental Examination Report (IEER) or Environment Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) as applicable.
All mining activities of Industrial Mining Licences ‘A’ category (IML A) should obtain environmental clearance.