Overview
- The government announced the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act amendments on Saturday, June 20, 2026, granting the Central Industrial Security Force formal enforcement status for illegal coal extraction and transport.
- Under the new rules authorised CISF officers can conduct searches of vehicles and premises and file written complaints directly in court without first handing suspects to local police.
- The move builds on intensified CISF action at Central Coalfields Limited’s Kargali unit, where raids rose from 128 to 220 in 2025 and coal seizures jumped from 250 tonnes to about 1,100 tonnes.
- Vehicle seizures climbed from 12 in 2024 to 102 in 2025 at Kargali, which officials say helped prevent an estimated Rs 3–4 crore in annual revenue losses, but prosecutors and other agencies must still coordinate for convictions to follow.
- Officials say the change will be rolled out across multiple coal belts while enforcement adapts to new smuggling tactics such as motorcycle transfers, so the key things to watch are sustained intelligence, local cooperation and court follow-through.