Recent Changes In Indian Law On Oilfields Regulation & Development - Part I

I. Background

The Oilfields (Regulation & Development) Act, 1948 ("Original Act")¹ is the principal legislation governing the exploration and development of mineral oil resources in India. It was first enacted as the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1948 ("1948 Act") as a common legislation governing mines and minerals as well as mineral oil resources (including petroleum and natural gas). Subsequently, in the year 1957, the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act ("1957 Act") ² was enacted to specifically govern and regulate the mines and mineral sector.

To accommodate the 1957 Act, the 1948 Act was renamed as the Oilfields (Regulation & Development) Act, 1948, and its scope was narrowed to specifically deal with oilfields and petroleum related matters. While the 1948 legislation was renamed, many of the terminologies continued to reflect the earlier conflation of mining and petroleum activities. This is where the