RTI for Chhattisgarh Department of Geology and Mining — Coal, Iron Ore Lease, Royalty and DMF Fund Records

Chhattisgarh's geological wealth is extraordinary by any measure. The state sits atop two of the largest coalfields in peninsular India — the Korba coalfield worked extensively by South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) under Coal India Limited, and the Raigarh and Korea coalfields with dozens of captive blocks allotted to steel, power, and cement companies. The Bailadila hills in Dantewada district contain some of the purest iron ore deposits on the planet, mined by the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) and exported to Japan and South Korea for decades. Surguja and Jashpur hold significant bauxite reserves. Dantewada is one of the few places in India where tin ore — cassiterite — is commercially extracted, making Chhattisgarh a geological rarity on a subcontinent where tin has historically been scarce. The Raipur basin has known kimberlite pipes with diamond potential, with exploration licences periodically renewed.

This mineral wealth has made Chhattisgarh one of India's most industrialised states by raw material production — but it has also concentrated the social costs of mining on tribal communities in Bastar, Surguja, Korba, and Raigarh. Mining lease allotments, royalty collection, illegal mining enforcement, mine safety inspection, and the utilisation of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds for community welfare are all areas of direct public concern. The Right to Information Act, 2005 gives every citizen the right to demand these records from the Department of Geology and Mining (Bhutattva Khanan Vibhag) and from District Mining Officers across Chhattisgarh's mining districts.

The Department of Geology and Mining: Mandate and Structure

The Department of Geology and Mining (Bhutattva Khanan Vibhag), Government of Chhattisgarh, is the state's nodal agency for all matters relating to mineral exploration, mining lease administration, royalty collection, and enforcement of mining regulations under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act). The department operates under the Mines and Minerals portfolio of the state cabinet and is headed by the Director of Geology and Mining, headquartered in Raipur.

The department's principal functions include:

• Granting and administering mining leases for major and minor minerals under the MMDR Act and the Mineral Concession Rules, 2016. Major minerals — coal, iron ore, bauxite, tin ore, limestone, and dolomite — require Central Government concurrence; minor minerals are administered entirely at the state level.
• Royalty assessment and collection from mining lessees based on production quantity and the royalty rates prescribed under the Second Schedule to the MMDR Act, revised periodically by the Central Government.
• Inspection of mines through district mining officers and mine inspectors to verify compliance with lease conditions, production ceilings, environmental protection measures, and safety obligations.
• Enforcement against illegal mining — seizure of illegally extracted minerals, vehicles, and equipment; lodging of FIRs; and compounding of offences under the MMDR Act.
• Administration of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) at the district level, including collection of DMF contributions from lessees and oversight of PMKKKY spending on welfare of mining-affected communities.
• Geological surveys and exploration in partnership with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL) to identify new mineral deposits.
• Maintenance of mineral records — lease maps, cadastral registers, production statistics, and mineral despatch records — which form the official documentary base for all mining activity in the state.

District Mining Officers (DMOs) function as the field-level representatives of the directorate. Each of Chhattisgarh's major mining districts — Korba, Raigarh, Korea, Surajpur, Bilaspur, Durg, Bastar (Jagdalpur), Dantewada, Kabirdham, and others — has a DMO office responsible for day-to-day lease administration, royalty collection, inspection, and illegal mining action in that district.

What RTI Can Obtain from the Mines Department

Mining Lease Records

A mining lease is the foundational document that authorises extraction of a specified mineral from a defined area. Every active, lapsed, surrendered, or cancelled lease in Chhattisgarh is part of the public record of the Department of Geology and Mining. Through RTI, you can obtain:

• The complete details of a specific mining lease: lessee name (individual or company), mineral(s) covered, village, tehsil, district, area in hectares, cadastral survey numbers, date of grant, lease period, and date of last renewal.
• A certified copy of the mining lease deed itself — the formal agreement between the State Government and the lessee specifying all conditions of the grant, including production limits, environmental obligations, progressive mine closure plan requirements, and safety commitments.
• The register of mining leases in a particular district or tehsil, showing all lessees and their lease particulars.
• Records of lease modifications, assignment or transfer orders, and any conditions added or varied by the government over the lease's life.
• Details of leases where the period has lapsed without renewal, where the lessee has defaulted on royalty payments, or where the state has issued a show-cause notice for cancellation under Rule 23 of the Mineral Concession Rules.

For coal mines, the position is more complex: coal blocks are allotted by the Central Government under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 or by Coal India Limited subsidiaries like SECL. For Central Government–allotted coal blocks, the Ministry of Coal and SECL hold the primary lease records. For state-allotted minor mineral leases, the Chhattisgarh Mines Department holds the records. In practice, the state department holds royalty records, production data, and inspection reports even for Central-allotment coal mines operating in Chhattisgarh, because royalty is a state revenue.

Royalty Payment Records

Royalty is the fee paid by mining lessees to the State Government for each tonne of mineral extracted, at rates fixed under the MMDR Act's Second Schedule. Royalty collection is one of the primary revenue functions of the Mines Department. RTI can yield:

• The royalty assessed on a specific lessee for any financial year — the quantity of mineral produced (as declared by the lessee in Transit Pass/e-permit records), the applicable royalty rate per tonne, and the total demand raised.
• Payment records showing whether the royalty demand was paid in full, paid in part, or is outstanding, and the date(s) of payment.
• Details of royalty arrears notices issued to specific lessees under Section 21 of the MMDR Act, and any recovery proceedings initiated by the state.
• Mineral Despatch Records — Transit Pass registers or e-permit records showing vehicles transporting mineral from a lease area, the quantity, destination, and the royalty paid at the check post. These are especially useful in illegal mining investigations because discrepancies between production records and transit records expose unaccounted mineral despatch.
• DMF contribution records — the amount deposited into the District Mineral Foundation by each lessee, calculated as a percentage of royalty paid.

Illegal Mining Complaint Action-Taken Reports (ATRs)

Illegal mining — extraction without a valid lease, extraction beyond the permitted area or depth, or mineral despatch without payment of royalty — is a pervasive problem in Chhattisgarh, particularly in sand and gravel (minor minerals) and in coal-bearing areas. Citizens and communities that have filed complaints with the DMO about illegal mining have the right to know what action was taken. RTI can reveal:

• Whether a complaint was officially registered by the DMO, the complaint number assigned, and the date of registration.
• Whether a site inspection was conducted in response to the complaint, the name and designation of the inspecting officer, and the date of inspection.
• The inspection report prepared after the site visit, including findings on whether illegal extraction was observed, the quantity of mineral seized if any, and the vehicles and equipment confiscated.
• Whether a First Information Report (FIR) was registered with the police in connection with the illegal mining, the FIR number, and the name of the police station.
• Whether a compounding notice was issued under Section 21(5) of the MMDR Act (allowing offenders to compound the offence by paying a penalty), the penalty amount, and whether it was paid.
• If no action was taken on a complaint, the reason recorded by the DMO for inaction.

This is one of the most powerful applications of RTI in the mining context. Systematic inaction on illegal mining complaints — or light compounding penalties for serial offenders — is often documented only in department files. RTI makes that record visible.

Mine Inspection Reports

The DMO and mine inspectors are required to conduct periodic inspections of operating mines to verify compliance with lease conditions. Inspection reports are official departmental records and are fully disclosable under the RTI Act. You can request:

• A certified copy of the inspection report prepared after the most recent (or any specific) inspection of a named mine or lease.
• The specific compliance findings: Was the mine operating within the approved lease boundary? Were there any boundary encroachments? Were dust suppression and mine drainage measures in place? Was the progressive mine closure plan being implemented? Were safety measures such as adequate blasting protocols and slope stability maintained?
• Any violations noted by the inspecting officer and the directions issued to the lessee for remediation.
• The follow-up inspection report verifying whether the lessee complied with the directions.

For communities living near large iron ore or coal mines in Korba, Raigarh, Dantewada, or Bastar, mine inspection reports can reveal whether the mine is complying with its environmental lease conditions — a record that is directly relevant to complaints before the Chhattisgarh State Pollution Control Board (CGSPCB) or the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

DMF Fund Utilisation Records

The District Mineral Foundation (DMF) is one of the most significant policy reforms introduced by the MMDR Amendment Act, 2015. Every mining lessee must contribute to the DMF of the district in which the mine operates. In Chhattisgarh's major mining districts, these funds have accumulated into crores — Korba and Raigarh DMFs, for instance, hold substantial corpora from coal royalty contributions. Under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY), at least 60% of DMF funds must be spent on high-priority areas: drinking water supply, environmental protection and pollution control, healthcare, women and child welfare, education, skill development, and welfare of elderly and disabled persons in mining-affected areas. Up to 40% may be used for other priority areas including physical infrastructure and irrigation.

RTI can extract:

• The total DMF corpus accumulated in a district since inception, the contributions received from each lessee by financial year, and the interest earned.
• Project-wise expenditure records — the list of projects sanctioned under PMKKKY in the district, the amount approved, the implementing agency, the target beneficiaries, and the amount actually disbursed.
• Details of beneficiary villages or habitations covered under the DMF — whether mining-affected communities (as defined under the PMKKKY guidelines, including directly and indirectly affected areas) were correctly identified and included.
• Audit reports on DMF fund utilisation — whether the mandatory 60/40 split between high-priority and other-priority spending was maintained.
• Details of DMF Trust Governance Committee meetings, resolutions passed, and project approvals made, since the DMF is governed by a committee chaired by the District Collector with elected representatives and mining-affected community members as members.

For tribal communities in mining districts — whose land, forests, and water sources bear the direct burden of extraction — DMF utilisation records are a matter of both legal entitlement and community survival.

Key Mining Districts and Where to File

Korba District

Korba is the coal capital of Chhattisgarh. It hosts SECL's Gevra, Dipka, Kusmunda, and other open-cast mines, as well as captive coal blocks for steel and power companies. The DMO, Korba is the correct office for district-level lease, royalty, illegal mining, and DMF records. SECL's own operations involve Central Government records held by Coal India/SECL — those require a separate RTI to SECL as a Central Government PSU.

Raigarh District

Raigarh is a major coal and sponge iron cluster, with numerous captive coal blocks and a dense concentration of sponge iron plants. The DMO, Raigarh holds lease and royalty records for coal blocks in the district.

Korea and Surajpur Districts

These northern districts contain the Korea coalfield. The respective DMOs hold district-level records.

Dantewada and Bastar Districts

Dantewada hosts NMDC's Bailadila iron ore project (Iron Ore Mines 1 to 14) — one of the largest iron ore mining operations in India. NMDC is a Central Government PSU; its own operational records require RTI to NMDC. But the Chhattisgarh Mines Department holds royalty records (iron ore royalty is paid to the state) and inspection records for all mines in Dantewada. Dantewada is also the location of the Dantewada tin ore mining area — making it one of the few places in India with commercial tin (cassiterite) extraction. RTI on tin ore leases and production records is directed to the DMO, Dantewada, or the Directorate, Raipur.

Bilaspur and Durg

Bilaspur has limestone and dolomite mining for the cement industry. Durg district has iron ore, limestone, and industrial minerals. DMOs in each district hold the relevant records.

How to File RTI with the Chhattisgarh Mines Department

Step 1: Identify the Correct Office

For district-specific records — a particular lease, DMO-level inspection reports, district royalty data, or DMF fund utilisation in a specific district — file with the CPIO, District Mining Officer, District Name.

For directorate-level or state-aggregate information — consolidated royalty statistics, state-level policy circulars, mining lease registers for a region, or records not held at the district level — file with the CPIO, Directorate of Geology and Mining, Raipur.

Under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, if you file at the wrong office, the CPIO must transfer the application to the correct public authority within five days and inform you of the transfer.

Step 2: File Online

For Chhattisgarh state government public authorities, file via the Chhattisgarh state RTI portal. You may also use the Central RTI portal at https://rtionline.gov.in for state bodies. Filing online generates an immediate acknowledgement number and allows digital fee payment.

Step 3: File by Post or In Person

Prepare your application on plain paper addressed to the CPIO of the relevant office. Number each information request. Attach the ₹10 fee by Indian Postal Order (IPO) or as otherwise prescribed under Chhattisgarh RTI Rules. Send by Speed Post or Registered Post and retain the tracking number. BPL cardholders are fee-exempt — attach a copy of the BPL ration card.

Step 4: Draft Precisely

Effective RTI applications in the mining context are built on specificity:

• Name the lease number, the lessee, the mineral, and the district. "All coal leases in Chhattisgarh" will produce an unwieldy or evasive response. "Mining lease No. X for coal in village Y, tehsil Z, district Korba, held by Lessee Name" targets a specific record.
• For royalty requests, specify the financial year. Royalty records are maintained year-wise.
• For illegal mining ATRs, cite the complaint number if one was assigned. If you do not have a complaint number, describe the location and the approximate date of the complaint.
• For DMF records, specify the district and the financial year(s). DMF accounts are maintained district-wise.
• Ask for certified copies of documents — inspection reports, lease deeds, royalty demand notices — rather than summaries. Certified copies carry evidentiary weight before courts, tribunals, and the NGT.

Response Timeline and Fee

Under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, the CPIO must furnish information within 30 days of receipt. Where the information sought involves the life or liberty of a person — for instance, where illegal mining is causing groundwater contamination that threatens a community's drinking water or where a mine slope collapse poses imminent danger — the proviso to Section 7(1) requires a response within 48 hours. Explicitly invoke this provision and state the life/liberty nexus in your application.

The application fee is ₹10 under the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. BPL cardholders are fully exempt. For document copies exceeding one page, additional charges of ₹2 per page may apply — the CPIO must inform you of additional charges before deducting from any advance, and you have the right to inspect records in person free of charge.

First Appeal: Section 19(1)

If the CPIO of the Mines Department or the DMO fails to respond within 30 days, or the response is incomplete, evasive, or misleading, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the CPIO's decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is payable at the First Appeal stage.

Address the First Appeal to the First Appellate Authority (FAA) within the Department of Geology and Mining — typically the Director of Geology and Mining, Raipur, or a senior officer so designated. For applications originally filed with a District Mining Officer, the FAA may be the Superintendent or a senior officer at the divisional or directorate level. Your First Appeal should include:

• A copy of the original RTI application with proof of filing.
• The CPIO's response, if any was received.
• A clear statement of what information was not provided or was provided incorrectly.
• The relief sought — complete information, certified copies, a revised response.

The FAA must decide within 30 days (extendable to 45 days for reasons recorded in writing).

Second Appeal: Chhattisgarh Information Commission (CGIC)

If the First Appeal does not produce a satisfactory outcome, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act with the Chhattisgarh Information Commission (CGIC). The CGIC is the state-level appellate body established under Section 15 of the RTI Act, 2005, for all Chhattisgarh state public authorities.

The Department of Geology and Mining is a state government department. Its second appeal goes to the CGIC, not the Central Information Commission (CIC). The CIC has jurisdiction only over Central Government ministries and Central PSUs — it has no authority over Chhattisgarh state bodies. A second appeal filed with the CIC instead of the CGIC will be returned as not maintainable, potentially wasting the 90-day window.

File the Second Appeal with the CGIC within 90 days of the FAA's order or the expiry of the FAA's response period. Include:

• The original RTI application with proof of filing.
• The CPIO's response (or a statement that no response was received).
• The First Appeal with proof of filing.
• The FAA's order (or a statement that no order was received).
• A statement explaining why the response at each level was inadequate or unjustified.

The CGIC has the power to:

• Direct the CPIO to furnish the information that was denied or withheld.
• Under Section 20 of the RTI Act, impose a penalty of ₹250 per day on the defaulting CPIO personally for each day of unjustified denial or delay, up to a maximum of ₹25,000.
• Recommend disciplinary action against the CPIO under Section 20(2).
• Award compensation to the applicant for loss or detriment suffered as a result of unlawful information denial.

The burden of proving that the denial was justified lies on the CPIO — not on the applicant.

RTI and the MMDR Framework: Legal Context

All mining activities in Chhattisgarh are governed by the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act), as significantly amended in 2015 and 2021. The key provisions relevant to RTI users:

• Section 4 — No person may prospect for or extract minerals without a valid mineral concession (reconnaissance permit, prospecting licence, or mining lease). RTI can verify whether any extraction activity has a valid concession.
• Section 9 — Every holder of a mining lease must pay royalty at rates prescribed under the Second Schedule. RTI provides access to royalty payment records.
• Section 9B — Establishes the District Mineral Foundation in every district affected by mining. Mandates lessee contributions. RTI on DMF fund collections and utilisation flows directly from this section.
• Section 21 — Empowers the state government to take action against illegal mining, including seizure, FIR, and compounding. RTI can reveal what action was or was not taken under this section in response to complaints.
• Mineral Concession Rules, 2016 — Governing procedure for grant, renewal, transfer, and termination of mining leases. Lease records accessible via RTI are created and maintained under these rules.

Note the important jurisdictional division: coal, lignite, and atomic minerals are Central List subjects under Entry 54, List I of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. Coal block allotments are made by the Central Government. SECL and NMDC are Central PSUs. For records held by these Central bodies, RTI must be filed with them directly — not with the state Mines Department. However, royalty on coal and iron ore mined in Chhattisgarh is paid to the state, and the state Mines Department maintains royalty ledgers, transit records, and inspection reports even for Central-allotment mines. This dual-track record-keeping means that RTI with the state Mines Department is often equally important as RTI with the Central body.

Practical Tips for Effective RTI in Chhattisgarh Mining Matters

Distinguish between Central and State record-holders. SECL's coal mine operational records — production data, safety inspection reports by DGMS (Directorate General of Mines Safety) — are held by SECL and the Central Government. Royalty payments, transit records, and DMO inspection reports for the same mine are held by the state Mines Department. File appropriately with each.

Use mineral transit records to detect illegal mining. The e-permit/Transit Pass system records every authorised movement of mineral from a lease area. If you suspect that mineral is being despatched without royalty payment, ask the DMO for the e-permit/Transit Pass register for the lease in question and compare it with declared production records. Discrepancies are the documentary fingerprint of mineral theft.

For DMF matters, also file with the District Collector. The DMF Trust is chaired by the District Collector, who may hold meeting minutes, project sanction orders, and audit reports that are not duplicated at the DMO's office. File parallel RTI applications with the CPIO, District Collectorate, for DMF governance records.

Ask for mine closure plan compliance records. Under the MMDR Act and the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2017, every mining lessee must submit and implement a Mine Closure Plan — including progressive mine closure as extraction proceeds and a final closure plan at the end of the lease. Communities near abandoned or end-of-life mines can seek the mine closure plan and the inspection report verifying its implementation through RTI.

Specify "certified copy" in every document request. Documents obtained via RTI that are certified as true copies by the CPIO are admissible as evidence before courts, the NGT, and consumer forums. An uncertified photocopy has weaker evidentiary value. Always end document requests with: "Please provide a certified copy of this document."

For life/liberty situations, explicitly invoke the 48-hour provision. If an ongoing illegal mining operation is causing active subsidence or contamination of a community's water source, or if mine blasting is occurring dangerously close to residential areas in violation of safety regulations, the nexus with life and liberty is direct. Explicitly state this in your application and invoke the proviso to Section 7(1) for a 48-hour response. Even if the CPIO does not comply within 48 hours, the explicit invocation creates the basis for a Section 20 penalty complaint before the CGIC.

Cross-file with CGSPCB for environmental violations. Mine inspection reports from the Mines Department and environmental consent compliance records from CGSPCB complement each other. A mine that the DMO finds to be operating beyond its boundary also needs its environmental consent checked for the expanded area. Using RTI with both departments simultaneously builds a more complete accountability picture.

RTI Act Sections Reference

The following provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005 are directly relevant to filing RTI with the Chhattisgarh Department of Geology and Mining:

• Section 2(h) — Defines "public authority." The Department of Geology and Mining and all DMO offices are public authorities fully subject to the RTI Act.
• Section 6 — Procedure for filing an RTI application with the CPIO of a public authority.
• Section 7(1) — The CPIO must furnish information within 30 days of receipt of the application.
• Section 7(1) proviso — Information concerning the life or liberty of a person must be furnished within 48 hours.
• Section 19(1) — First Appeal to the First Appellate Authority within the Mines Department, within 30 days of the date of the CPIO's decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.
• Section 19(3) — Second Appeal to the Chhattisgarh Information Commission (CGIC), within 90 days of the FAA's order or the expiry of the FAA's response period.
• Section 20 — Penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the CPIO personally for unjustified denial, delay, or misleading response; CGIC may also recommend disciplinary action.

Chhattisgarh's mineral wealth belongs to the state and its people. Mining leases are grants of public resources, and royalty revenues — including DMF contributions — are public funds meant to directly benefit the communities that bear the environmental and social costs of extraction. The RTI Act is the citizen's tool to hold the Department of Geology and Mining accountable for how those leases are administered, how royalties are collected, how illegal mining is prosecuted, and whether DMF funds are reaching the tribal communities for whom they were legislatively designed. Where the CPIO fails to respond or withholds information without justification, the Chhattisgarh Information Commission has the authority to compel disclosure and impose personal penalties — ensuring that the accountability the RTI Act promises is not merely theoretical.