To develop, demonstrate and bestow safe and efficient rock excavation techniques for exploitation of minerals at competitive prices and provide state of the art blasting techniques formining and civil infrastructure projects.

The Rock Excavation Engineering Research Group is formed by amalgamation of the erstwhile Blasting Department and Explosive & Explosion Laboratory. The Research Group focuses on the R&D works in two specific areas,safe and economical rock excavation techniques for mining and civil engineering construction projects with minimum disturbance to surrounding environments and development of new cost-effective explosives and blasting accessories for the Indian mining industries. The Group also has testing facilities for different explosives andblasting accessories for their use in Indian mining conditions.

1. Design and development of controlled blasting patterns for safe and efficient extraction of minerals from mines and quarries in the vicinity of villages/surface structures.
2. Mine-to-Mill Technology for overall optimization of the energy used for crushing and processing of minerals.
3. Optimisation of blast patterns in Dragline and Shovel-dumper benches for enhanced production and productivity in large opencast coal mines.
4. Optimisation of blast fragmentation in any sort of bench geometry in opencast mines.
5. Techno-economic assessment of drilling and blasting parameters in opencast mines.
6. Mass production blasting in underground metal mines for improved production with safety to underground openings and nearby surface features.
7. Induced caving by blasting for effective strata management in underground coal mines.
8. Designing of solid blasting patterns for development faces and depillaring in underground coal mines.
9. Controlled blasting for hard rock excavations in civil infrastructure projects viz. Airport, Metro Rails, Highways, Railways, Foundation works of thermal power projects etc.
10. Tunnel blast design to achieve faster rate of advance.
11. Controlled blasting in sensitive hilly areas for safer and speedier construction of roads and other civil engineering projects. 
12. Pre-split blasting and smooth blasting techniques for control of overbreak to achieve stable final excavated walls in mines and civil construction projects.
13. Control of dust generated by blasting operations in opencast mines and civil engineering projects.
14. Monitoring and prediction of ground vibration, noise and air-overpressure using microcomputer-based instruments and their analysis through the latest software packages.
15. Control and prediction of flyrock in bench blasting for opencast mines, quarries and civil engineering construction projects.
16. Plasma Blasting Technique for rock excavation in very sensitive areas.
17. Performance evaluation and feasibility study of mechanical excavation of rocks for various types of rock cutting machines.  
18. Demolition of Railway Over Bridges, Cofferdams in Hydroelectric Projects and old structures/buildings using controlled blasting. 
19. Testing and evaluation of explosives and blasting accessories for maximum utilization of explosives energy in blasting.
20. Testing of permitted explosives and non-incendivedelay detonators for their safe usages in underground coal mines of different degrees of gassiness.
21. Development of new cost-effective explosives and blasting accessories for Indian mining industries.
22. Training of personnel for safe blasting operations in surface and underground mines, quarries and civil engineering projects.  
23. Training of explosive manufactures on handling & safety aspects related to explosives and accessories. 

1. Established controlled blast design patterns in more than 200opencast and underground mines in India under various complex situations.
2. Established threshold values of vibration (PPV) for different RMR of roof rocks in underground workings which is enforced by DGMS under Technical Circular No. 06 of 2007, Dhanbad, Dated 28/05/2007.
3. Helped DGMS in establishing Vibration Standards for surface mine blasting,now available in many globally available seismographs.
4. The Mine-to-Mill Technology has benefitted to many iron ore and limestone mines of the country.
5. Development of pre-split blast designsfor Rampur Agucha Mine of Hindustan Zinc Limited to achieve final stable wall which has made the mine as the deepest opencast mines in India.
6. Designing of drilling and blasting methodology for tunnels, underground powerhouse caverns and open excavation works in more than 20 prestigious hydroelectric projects of India, Bhutan and Afghanistan.
7. Designing of blasting patterns for Ghat-ki-Guni Transport Tunnel in Jaipur, Rajasthan and a Transport Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh.
8. Complete design, monitoring and supervision of controlled blasting works for Ulwe Hill Cutting as part of the land development for the construction of Navi Mumbai International Airport.
9. Stabililization of more than fifty (50) unstable slopesin Konkan Railwayswith a total span of about 18 km using directional controlled blasting technique.
10. Provided guidance and scientific know-how to Border Roads Organization (BRO) for safe and efficient drilling and blasting operations in speedy construction of strategic roads in fragile and difficult areas along the Indian Borders. 
11. Successfully demolished seven numbers of old Railway Over Bridges (ROBs) located between Pirpainti and Bhagalpur of Eastern Railways for the conversion of double lane electrified railway lines. 
12. Successfully demolished two concrete cofferdamsusing controlled blasting at Teesta Low Dam Projects, Stage-III and Stage-IV of NHPC Limited. 
13. Designed and supervised controlled blasting for hard rock excavation works for the construction of more than 10 Thermal Power Projects of the country. 
14. Developed cost-effective blasting technology using additives in explosives, water-resistant ANFO, used and recycled lubricant oils in ANFO to replace fresh oil. 
15. Development of explosives for blasting in BG panels saved the national loss of coal production around 2.5 MT and solved the problem of industrial unrest due to the stoppage of BG panels in SCCL.
16. Developed three formulations of permitted explosives viz. Emulcoal-100, Emulcoal-300 and Emulcoal-500.
17. Appreciated with the National Mineral Awards, CSIR Technology Awards (2018 & 2019) and other prestigious awards for its contribution in rock excavation engineering sciences.