GPS to track illegal mineral transportation in Chhattisgarh

The Global Positioning System (GPS) would track the movement and location of rich minerals in Chhattisgarh. The move is aimed to check the illegal transportation of minerals in the state that has been endowed with valuable and rich commodities, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said.

The mineral resources department in the state had been receiving complaints of illegal transportation of coal, bauxite, iron ore and other rich minerals. The department working need to be modernised to check such illegal practices and the installation of GPS will be one of the steps, Singh said.

The Chief Minister had asked officials to prepare an action plan in this connection. He said guidelines and directives should be issued to the transporters to install GPS in the vehicles transporting minerals within one year. The state government would ask the state-run South Eastern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited and the highest coal producing company in the country to instruct transporters to install GPS in the trucks carrying coal from its mines.

Of the 92 coal mines under SECL, 55 are in Chhattisgarh. The company set a record in the fiscal 2008-09 when it has produced 101.15 Million Tonnes (MT) of coal. The state government is planning to install close-circuit cameras in the important mineral check posts to record the movement of vehicles. The officials have been directed to install cameras in at least 10 check posts on experiment basis, Singh said.