221. Notice of closure, abandonment or discontinuance of extraction of methane.
(1)Whenever there is any proposal or intention to close or abandon or discontinue extraction of methane from any coal seam or coal measure strata of any working or abandoned mines or part thereof, the owner, agent and manager of the mine shall, not less than sixty days prior to the date of start of such closure, abandonment or discontinuance of extraction work, give notice in writing in the Form and method as may be specified by the Chief Inspector for the purpose, to the Chief Inspector and also to the Regional Inspector.(2)The notice so required under sub-regulation (1) shall be submitted with the following information, namely:-(a)the reasons of closure, abandonment or discontinuance;(b)plans and sections of the mine or part thereof prepared adhering to general requirements under these regulations, clearly showing the coal seams, coal measure strata, target seams and strata or the places of the working or abandoned mines from where the methane has already been extracted, their extent and all other details as required under these regulations, present and future working from where methane as well as coal are likely to be extracted;(c)plans and sections of the area prepared adhering to general requirements under these regulations, showing details of extraction work that is already completed and the conditions of all the boreholes and the part of working abandoned or discontinued; and(d)protective work like sealing or isolation of working or any other work already completed and all those work required to be done so as to make the area safe and secure in all respect.(3)The Chief Inspector may, by an order in writing and subject to such conditions as may be specified therein, require any other work as required to be completed before closure, abandonment, or discontinuation of such working, by the owner of the mine.(4)If owner and agent fails to complete the remaining work required to be done before closure or abandonment or discontinuance of the working in a mine or part thereof, the Chief Inspector may get such protective work done by any other agency and the charges so incurred shall be defrayed from the owner as an arrear of land revenue.
