Mines Act, 1923

The Mines Act, 1923 is a labour law regulating the operation, inspection, and safety of mines in Pakistan, and setting working-hour and welfare protections for people employed in them.

Chapter II establishes a system of mine Inspectors (Section 4), giving them functions and powers (Sections 5-6) to inspect mines and enforce compliance, and Section 8 requires mine owners, agents, and managers to give Inspectors the facilities needed to do their job. Chapter III sets up Mining Boards and Committees (Sections 10-13) with regulatory powers over mining operations. Chapter IV requires notice before mining operations begin (Section 14), requires appointment of Managers (Section 15), and fixes the duties and responsibilities of owners, agents, and managers for compliance with the Act (Section 16).

Chapter V (Sections 17-22) covers health and safety: Section 17 addresses conservancy (sanitation), Section 17A requires canteens and Section 17B shelters, Section 18 requires medical appliances and Section 18A first aid rooms, Section 19 gives Inspectors power to act where dangers exist that are not otherwise covered by the Act, and Sections 20-22 require notice of accidents and occupational diseases, provide for government inquiries into accidents, and require publication of inquiry reports.

Chapter VI regulates working time and who may be employed: Section 22A provides a weekly day of rest; Sections 22B-22C set hours of work above and below ground; Section 23 prohibits employment of certain categories of persons; Section 23C specifically addresses employment of women; Section 26 restricts employment of children, with Section 26A requiring young persons to hold fitness certificates before being employed and Section 26B limiting their working hours. Chapter VI-A (Sections 28A-28G) provides for annual leave with wages, festival holidays, casual and sick leave, and wages during leave.

Chapter VIII (Sections 34-44) creates offences and penalties for obstruction of Inspectors, falsification of records, failing to furnish required plans, contravening employment rules, failing to give notice of accidents, disobeying lawful orders, and causing dangerous contraventions of the law; the extract does not show the specific fine or imprisonment amounts for these offences, so exact figures should be checked in the current text. Section 48 makes the Act apply to government-owned mines as well as private ones.

This is a century-old law (1923) with extensive amendment history reflected in the extract's footnotes (amendments in 1935, 1949, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1973, and 1981, among others), so specific current details -- particularly definitions like "appropriate Government" and any updated penalty amounts -- should be confirmed against the current official text.