The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) yesterday released a list
of what it said was the first batch of names of coal mines whose
certificates have been cancelled for failing to meet safety
standards due to outdated mining technology, poor management and
low technical expertise.
The list comprised 580 collieries, most of which were in ten
provinces and autonomous regions, including Guangdong, Liaoning,
Hebei, Henan, Hubei and Guizhou, according to the NDRC's
website.
Provincial departments in charge of issuing coal mine production
certificates are also required to report more unqualified
collieries to the commission on December 5 this year and January 10
of next year, it said.
On Sunday, a State Council production safety committee urged
local governments to go all out to streamline the operation of
mines and close unqualified ones.
Since the start of this year, work has been suspended at 12,990
unqualified mines, 4,672 of which passed safety checks after
correcting problems, said a State Administration of Work Safety
(SAWS) official yesterday.
1,933 unqualified and 9,067 illegal collieries have been closed
this year, according to the SAWS.
"All those that fail to pass government assessments by the end
of the year will be closed for good," said the official, but the
shutdowns are unlikely to have much impact on output because most
of the mines involved are small.
Gas explosions, floods, cave-ins and other accidents kill over
6,000 miners each year in China.
(China Daily November 23, 2005)