Nagpur: The in-house security personnel of public-sector mining company Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) have been empowered to initiate legal proceedings in cases of coal theft and illegal mining. WCL has also issued a toll-free number 1800-233-5506/7 for reporting incidents of coal theft.The move comes after a change in the mines and minerals (development and regulation) rules. Under this, the guards of WCL’s security department as well as the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed in some of the mines get the powers to start legal action in theft cases.Earlier, it took a written police complaint to initiate court proceedings in such cases. Now, guards have also been given the authority to carry out searches. This enables checking the vehicles that pass out of the mining areas under WCL. The move extends the mandate of the security department beyond mere guarding of the premises, said a press release issued by WCL. The security personnel can now act swiftly on any information about coal theft or illegal mining, a source said.The change in rule comes as a major boost for WCL, which would be able to curb theft efficiently, says the release. The company’s CMD Hemant Pande has already sent a written intimation on the enhanced powers of the security personnel to the senior bureaucracy in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh — the two states where the company has coal mines.
