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‘Mining gear of dubious origin a safety concern’

Mining equipment, especially electrical components, procured from unestablished sources, may raise safety concerns for Indian mines, a top official from a leading domestic mining equipment component maker told ICMW.

“In the past, electrical equipment from some unestablished sources were not used in projects for the Indian mines due to safety concerns. But, recently, such equipment were given permission for use, from one such unestablished source, for a total Longwall project,” the official said.

“This decision has been based just on the test reports for one of each prototype as sample,” said the official, adding, “such decisions need to be carefully evaluated before being taken as it may be detrimental to the national interest and leads to dependency on foreign sources.”

While declining to identify the project, the official urged the Director General for Mine Safety (DGMS) to exercise more caution while allowing products from unestablished sources to be used in Indian mines.

Source: ICMW