MCL promoting 'Khanan Prahari' App to curb illegal mining

Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) Thursday said it is promoting the 'Khanan Prahari' mobile to curb illegal coal mining activity through remote sensing and detection technology.

'Khanan Prahari' app is available on Google Play Store for free installation and is a tool for reporting any illegal coal mining incident through geotagged photographs as well as textual information by any individual, MCL said in a statement.

The union coal ministry has developed the Coal Mining Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS) software to use space technology for curbing illegal coal mining activity in the country.

The software was developed in coordination with Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Application and Geo- informatics (BISAG), Gandhinagar, and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

MCL is spreading information through different modes of communication banners, posters and social media platforms - so that individuals, particularly in peripheral areas, actively participate in reporting any illegal mining activity they come across.

Known for its IT initiatives to curb corruption and make business procedures transparent, the Coal India subsidiary has been actively involved in evolving system for fair business practices, the statement said.

In the app maps of the coal blocks and coalfield boundaries have been geo-referenced and superimposed on the latest satellite remote sensing images, it said.

This system can scan a region of 100 meters around the existing coalfield boundary to identify any unusual activity which is likely to be illegal coal mining and a trigger will be generated with a reference number.

These triggers will be studied by specialist groups identified by the coal ministry and then transmitted to the concerned nodal officials for field verification, it said.

A check for illegality in operation is conducted and reported back to the system and can be traced against the reference number initially assigned to it.

While the Khanan Prahari mobile app aims to establish a participative monitoring system where the citizens also can use this app and report any unusual or illegal coal mining activity, the identity of the reporter will not be revealed by the system, the statement added.