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                       Introduction

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📌 Scheduling in Mining Operations Scheduling in mining is the process of allocating resources (men, machines, and materials) to activities in a time-bound sequence to achieve production and safety targets. 

  🔹Importance of Scheduling

• Ensures optimum use of equipment.
• Helps achieve daily, monthly, and annual production targets.
• Minimizes idle time and improves efficiency.
• Reduces chances of bottlenecks in production flow.
• Provides visibility to managers for manpower and machinery deployment.

🔹  Types of Scheduling in Mines

1. Long-term scheduling: Annual or life-of-mine production plan.
2. Medium-term scheduling: Monthly or quarterly targets.
3. Short-term scheduling: Daily or weekly production tasks.
4. Real-time scheduling: Adjustments during operations (blasting delays, equipment breakdowns).

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⚙️ Capacity Planning Strategies Capacity Planning is the process of ensuring that the mine has the right resources to meet production demands safely and efficiently. 

  🔹 Elements of Capacity Planning

• Equipment capacity: Shovel, dumper, dragline, belt conveyors.
• Manpower capacity: Supervisors, operators, technicians.
• Infrastructure capacity: Workshops, stockyards, transport facilities.

🔹 Approaches

1. Lead Strategy: Plan capacity in advance (anticipating demand).
2. Lag Strategy: Add capacity only after demand rises.
3. Match Strategy: Gradual capacity addition matching demand.

🔹 In Mining Context

• Dragline capacity → determines overburden removal.
• Shovel–dumper fleet balance → key to opencast productivity.
• Ventilation capacity → limits underground workforce and equipment deployment.

👉 DGMS Exam Focus: Managers are expected to plan schedules and capacities in compliance with CMR/MMR provisions ensuring safety + productivity.

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🎯 DGMS Syllabus Focus

• Mine Planning, Scheduling & Production targets.
• Manpower and machine deployment strategies.
• Bottleneck management (haul roads, face advancement, drilling/blasting sequence).
• Use of scheduling charts: Gantt charts, PERT/CPM, Network diagrams.
• Safety-first scheduling: Maintenance schedules, blasting windows, ventilation plans.

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📖 Quick One-Liner Notes

1. Scheduling = when to do; Planning = what to do.
2. Short-term schedules ensure daily productivity.
3. CPM = Critical Path Method for project scheduling.
4. Bottlenecks cause delays & idle equipment.
5. Dragline capacity decides OB removal in opencast mines.
6. Ventilation capacity = manpower & equipment limit.
7. Lead strategy → future-ready capacity planning.
8. Lag strategy → safe but reactive.
9. Match strategy → balanced capacity growth.
10. DGMS expects managers to balance safety + productivity.

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📝 MCQs – Scheduling & Capacity Planning in Mining (25 Qs) 

Q1. Scheduling in mining primarily deals with:
A) Safety standards
B) Resource allocation over time
C) Cost accounting
D) Worker wages
E) Mine reclamation
Answer: B
Solution: Scheduling = allocation of men, machine, and materials in time sequence.

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Q2. Which type of scheduling deals with annual targets?
A) Short-term
B) Medium-term
C) Long-term
D) Real-time
E) None
Answer: C
Solution: Long-term scheduling → life-of-mine/annual plans.

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Q3. Daily mine task allocation is part of:
A) Long-term
B) Medium-term
C) Short-term scheduling
D) Capacity planning
E) None
Answer: C
Solution: Short-term → daily/weekly plans.

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Q4. CPM in project scheduling stands for:
A) Capacity Planning Model
B) Critical Path Method
C) Coal Production Method
D) Crew Planning Model
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: CPM = Critical Path Method.

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Q5. Bottlenecks in mining occur due to:
A) Lack of coal reserves
B) Imbalance in capacity of machines
C) Excess ventilation
D) Too many workers
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: Bottlenecks = mismatched machine capacities.

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Q6. Lead capacity planning strategy means:
A) Adding capacity only after demand
B) Adding capacity in advance
C) Ignoring demand
D) Relying on outsourcing
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: Lead = proactive capacity addition.

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Q7. Match capacity planning strategy means:
A) Overcapacity always
B) Sudden expansion
C) Gradual addition with demand
D) Ignoring safety
E) None
Answer: C
Solution: Match = balanced, gradual.

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Q8. Ventilation in underground mines affects:
A) Illumination
B) Production capacity
C) Only dust levels
D) Only cost
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: Ventilation capacity controls manpower & machinery use.

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Q9. Gantt charts are used in:
A) Ventilation control
B) Scheduling of tasks
C) Blasting safety
D) PPE allocation
E) Dust sampling
Answer: B
Solution: Gantt charts = visual scheduling tool.

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Q10. In opencast mines, fleet capacity is decided by:
A) Wage cost
B) Shovel–dumper matching
C) Explosives
D) Lighting
E) Ventilation
Answer: B
Solution: Shovel–dumper balance = key productivity factor.

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Q11. Which one is NOT a scheduling technique?
A) CPM
B) PERT
C) Gantt chart
D) SWOT analysis
E) Network diagrams
Answer: D
Solution: SWOT = strategy, not scheduling.

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Q12. Capacity planning in mines ensures:
A) Safety + productivity balance
B) Only safety
C) Only production
D) Only ventilation
E) None
Answer: A
Solution: Both safety & productivity must be planned.

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Q13. Real-time scheduling is required during:
A) Production planning only
B) Equipment breakdowns & delays
C) Cost estimation
D) DGMS inspections
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: Real-time = adjusting schedules dynamically.

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Q14. Which machine capacity defines OB removal in opencast mines?
A) Shovel
B) Dumper
C) Dragline
D) Belt conveyor
E) None
Answer: C
Solution: Dragline = overburden removal capacity.

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Q15. Scheduling is important in mines because:
A) It increases DGMS inspections
B) It ensures time-bound completion
C) It reduces manpower
D) It increases wages
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: Scheduling ensures time-targeted work.

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Q16. PERT is used for:
A) Risk analysis
B) Project scheduling under uncertainty
C) Dust monitoring
D) Rescue operations
E) Ventilation survey
Answer: B
Solution: PERT handles projects with uncertainty.

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Q17. Idle machinery is a sign of:
A) Good scheduling
B) Overcapacity or poor scheduling
C) Safety planning
D) Extra workforce
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: Idle = scheduling/capacity imbalance.

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Q18. Medium-term scheduling covers:
A) Days
B) Weeks
C) Months/Quarters
D) Years
E) None
Answer: C
Solution: Medium-term = months/quarters.

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Q19. Which is a scheduling output document?
A) Accident register
B) Production plan chart
C) Wages sheet
D) Lamp room register
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: Scheduling produces production plans/charts.

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Q20. Overloading of mine capacity may lead to:
A) Safety hazards
B) Reduced efficiency
C) Breakdown of machines
D) Accidents
E) All of the above
Answer: E
Solution: Overcapacity = unsafe + inefficient.

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Q21. Under CMR 2017, managers must prepare:
A) PPE records
B) Production & scheduling plans
C) Ventilation charts only
D) Wage structures
E) None
Answer: B
Solution: Managers ensure production + safety schedules.

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Q22. Which factor is NOT considered in capacity planning?
A) Manpower
B) Equipment
C) Ventilation
D) Safety requirements
E) Colour of machinery
Answer: E
Solution: Machine colour irrelevant to capacity.

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Q23. Scheduling in blasting must include:
A) Charge calculations
B) Safety clearance time
C) Blasting windows
D) All of the above
E) None
Answer: D
Solution: Blasting schedules = all above.

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Q24. Production scheduling in underground mines must consider:
A) Seam gradient
B) Ventilation availability
C) Roof conditions
D) All of the above
E) None
Answer: D
Solution: All these affect scheduling.

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Q25. In mining, capacity utilization ratio compares:
A) Planned vs. actual production
B) Wages vs. cost
C) Ventilation vs. temperature
D) Production vs. wages
E) None
Answer: A
Solution: Ratio = actual/planned production.

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