CHENNAI: Despite an order of the Madras High Court and multiple extensions since April 1, nearly 79% of trucks transporting M-sand, P-sand and other construction aggregates are yet to be fitted with GPS devices. Of the 1.4 lakh trucks registered on the Mineral Management System (MIMAS) portal, only 30,000 (21%) had been fitted with vehicle location-tracking devices as of September 30, the third deadline set for implementing the system.
The government had earlier announced that transit passes for transporting minerals would not be issued to vehicles without GPS devices from September 1.
Amid apprehensions of a backlash, the department extended the deadline for GPS installation by another 30 days to October 31.
Quarry operators are reluctant to install the devices as linking GPS trackers with the MIMAS portal could help curb illegal quarrying, unauthorised extraction of stones and overloading of trucks. The first deadline was March 31, 2026, which was later extended to September 30 and has now been extended further to October 31.
“Once the GPS device is linked, trucks will have to record the location of the quarry from where P-sand or other minerals are loaded. This would effectively create proof of illegally operated quarries. Additionally, the system will create digital proof of the quantity of minerals loaded, which could expose illegal extraction,” said S Yuvraj, president of the Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners Federation.
He also demanded that the government ensure there is no collusion between officials of the mining department and stone quarry operators in implementing the high court order.
Officials of the geology and mining department said around 37 vendors had been authorised to supply the GPS devices. However, the vendors do not have sufficient stocks to equip all the remaining vehicles within a few days. “Since several associations have submitted representations seeking more time to install the devices, we have extended the deadline by 30 days,” an official said. The officials also said strict action was being taken against those generating fake transit passes using fake QR codes. “We will soon introduce a complaint contact number for reporting violations in quarrying operations, which will be connected to the control room in Chennai,” the official added.
G Ganesh, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Lorry Owners Federation, said the price of location-tracking devices had been reduced from `15,000 to `3,700. “There are several vendors who can supply more than one lakh devices complying with the AIS-140 standard. The government’s reluctance raises questions over its commitment to curbing illegal mining,” he said.
According to official estimates, the state’s average requirement for construction aggregates is around 5.25 lakh units a day as against the permitted quarry production capacity of only 1.2 lakh units.