(1)Proper provision shall be made in every mine to prevent eruption of water or other liquid matter or any material that is likely to flow when wet from the workings of the same mine or of an adjoining mine and to prevent accidents while drilling bore-holes for probe or release of a body of water or other liquid matter or any material that is likely to flow when wet.(2)Where work is being done in -(i)any seam or section below another seam or section; or(ii)any place in a seam or section, which is at a lower level than any other place in a lower seam or section; or(iii)any place in a seam approaching a fault passing through an upper seam or section, which contains or may contain an accumulation of water or other liquid matter or any material that is likely to flow when wet; or(iv)any water-bearing strata, all useful information including the position, extent and depth of the above mentioned features shall be acquired and kept recorded and a scheme of working designed to prevent eruption of water or other liquid matter or any material that is likely to flow when wet shall be prepared and put into operation.(3)Without prejudice to the requirement of sub-regulation (1) and sub-regulation (2), no working which has approached within a distance of 60 meters of any other working (not being a working which has been physically examined and found to be free from accumulation of water or other liquid matter or any material that is likely to flow when wet), whether in the same mine or in an adjoining mine, shall be extended further except with the prior permission in writing of the Chief Inspector and subject to such conditions as he may specify therein.For the purposes of this sub-regulation, the distance between the said workings shall mean the shortest distance between the workings of the same seam or between any two seams or sections, as the case may be, measured in any direction whether horizontal, vertical or inclined.(4)Every application for permission to extend any working referred to in sub-regulation (3) shall be accompanied by two copies of the plan and section showing-(a)the outlines of all such disused or abandoned workings in relation to the working approaching them and also the depth of such disused or abandoned workings from the surface;(b)the outlines, the layout and the method of the proposed working for which permission is sought;(c)the faults, dykes and other geological disturbances in relation to workings specified in clause (a) or (b); and(d)any other information that is available with the management and other particulars or information that may be required by the Chief Inspector.(5)When permission is granted to extend any working referred to in sub-regulation (3) or sub-regulation (6), it shall be extended strictly in accordance with the plan and the method approved under, and the conditions specified in such permission; and there shall be no variation therefrom unless such variation is again approved by the Chief Inspector.(6)Whenever seepage of water which is not normal to the seam is noticed at any place in any working or if there be any such suspicion or doubt, such working shall immediately be stopped and the Chief Inspector and the Regional Inspector shall forthwith be informed of such seepage and such working shall not be extended further except with the prior permission in writing of the Chief Inspector and subject to such conditions as he may specify therein.(7)The height and width of any working referred to in sub-regulation (3) or sub-regulation (6) shall not exceed 2.4 meters and there shall be maintained at least one bore-hole near the centre of the working face, and sufficient flank bore-holes on each side and where necessary, bore-holes above and below the working at intervals of not more than five meters.(8)All such bore-holes referred under sub-regulation (7) shall be drilled sufficiently close to each other to ensure that the advancing face will not accidentally hole through into a working containing water or liquid matter or any material that is likely to flow when wet and shall be constantly maintained at sufficient distance in advance of the working and such distance shall in no case be less than three meters.(9)The precautions under this regulation shall be carried out under the direct supervision of an official, having Manager's Certificate or Overman's Certificate specially authorised for the purpose.(10)A record showing the exact height and width of such workings, the number of bore-holes driven, the length of each bore-hole, the places at which and the direction in which each bore-hole was driven, shall be maintained by the official referred to in sub-regulation (9) in a bound paged book kept for the purpose and the entries made therein shall be signed and dated by such competent person and shall be countersigned and dated by the manager every day.(11)A plan and section of the working referred to in sub-regulation (10), showing the particulars referred therein shall be prepared and maintained and they shall be brought up to date at least once in every fifteen days.(12)Unless specific relaxation is granted by the Chief Inspector in writing, the provisions of sub-regulations (7), (8) and (9), shall be strictly complied with while extending any working referred to in sub-regulation (3) or sub-regulation (6), whether or not the permission granted to extend such workings requires compliance with all or any of the provisions of sub-regulations (7), (8) or sub-regulation (9).(13)If the Chief Inspector is satisfied that the conditions in any mine or part thereof are such as to render compliance with all or any of the provisions specified in sub-regulations (7), (8) or sub-regulation (9), unnecessary or impracticable, he may, by an order in writing and subject to such conditions as may be specified therein, relax, vary or dispense with all or any of the conditions and requirements contained in those sub-regulations, and, if he is of the opinion that the conditions at any mine or part thereof are such as to require additional precautions to be taken, he may by an order in writing require that such additional precautions besides those specified in those sub-regulations shall be taken.
