Ma Kai, Minister of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), on Wednesday urged revising the Law on Coal and supporting legal regulations as soon as possible in order to maintain safe production in coalmines. He said 3 billion yuan public debt funds would be set aside this year for safety production revamp in coalmines.

Ma Kai said at a national teleconference for coalmine safety improvement and gas control that both the internal and external environments of the coal industry have changed since the promulgation and implementation of the Law on Coal in 1996. Some new circumstances and new problems have emerged, which need to be defined and identified in the Law on Coal. The NDRC has started the revising of the Law on Coal. He hopes relevant departments would give support and make joint effort to enact a good law that contributes to the sound development of the coal industry.

He said the central government arranged 2.2 billion yuan public debt funds to support the safety improvement in large and medium-sized coalmines in 2004. Although the overall volume of the public debt funds decreases by 30 billion yuan in 2005 the government still earmarked 3 billion yuan funds for coalmine safety improvement. He also said starting from this year more channels would be explored to raise funds. Determination was expressed to strive to basically finish coalmine safety and technology improvement in two to three years in order to effectively control major gas accidents.

By People's Daily Online