Beijing expects to close down 83 coal mines in its year-end coal mine safety rectification drive, said an official with the Beijing Mine Safety Supervision Bureau.

The city will set up a coal mine safety system which demand coal mine directors and managers to go down the shafts in shifts to ensure safe production and reduce chances of accidents, sources with the bureau said.

The new regulation will be issued next year, said Jia Taibao, deputy director of the Beijing Mine Safety Supervision Bureau, adding that each shift of underground coal production should be accompanied with at least one leading cadre of coal mine, Jia said.

Violators will be fined 30,000 yuan (US$3,750) to 150,000 yuan, he said.

In addition, those coal mines, where fatal accidents occur, will be shut down, he said, adding that the illegal income will be confiscated, in addition to a fine of 500,000 yuan to 2 million yuan.

A total of 83 coal mines are expected to be closed by the end of this year in Beijing, due to safety reasons, Jia said.

Beijing reported eight coal mine accidents in the first 11 months this year which claimed lives of nine miners.

While in the same period of 2004, the city reported 19 coal mine accidents with a death toll of 31.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2005)