AP Govt plans to use GPS devices to curb mining irregularities

Vizianagaram: The Mines and Geology department of AP is planning to adopt advanced technology to curb irregularities in mining activities. In general, the mining firms won’t follow the norms which were mentioned while taking licence for excavation of mines and minerals, and they won’t submit necessary accounts to the department. Simply they cross the borders where they are permitted to dig and move forward where ever they get the minerals. 

They pay royalty for lesser quantity and transport huge quantities from the mines. So far, the department has no technology to track the movement of the vehicles and they don’t have the precision instruments to measure the maps and borders of the mines.

These lapses have become boon for the mining licensees and they are simply excavating huge quantity of minerals and paying meagre amount to government towards royalty and selling the remaining quantities in black market.  Now the department considered all these violations as serious offences and thinking to curb those irregularities. 

AP state has around 7,000 mines and huge quantities of manganese, granite, iron ore, barite, dolomite, mica, gravel and some other minerals are being excavated from the mining points. 

Most of the licensees are violating norms as the department has no advanced technology like Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) to supervise the mining activities. But now the department is adopting those devices and marking the borders of the mining spots and the DGPS devices would also be installed on the borders  and they would be connected to the satellites.

If the license holder cross the border, the device will identify and send messages to satellite and later the same message would be reached to concerned authorities. Every truck would also be connected with GPS which can be monitored by the Assistant directors of mines in district head-quarters. These devices can also measure the number of trips made by the vehicles.  

They can find out where the truck is travelling and how much mineral was excavated. As of now, some of the big mines are connected with these DGPS. RVSK Ranga Rao, Minister for Mines and Geology said, ``We have decided to strengthen the monitoring system and increase the income to the government. If the Mining Department officials are found guilty, they would be punished and penalties would be imposed on them.’’