CHENNAI: In a bid to prevent the rampant illegal extraction and transportation of sand and other minor and major minerals, the Natural Resources department has decided to discontinue manual transit passes and permits, and introduce QR-code-enabled online permits generated through the Mineral Management System (MIMAS) portal.
The department is also planning to link weighbridges at quarries with the MIMAS portal to prevent overloading of mineral-laden vehicles and improve monitoring of mineral transportation through a control room. The QR code-printed passes will help to ensure accurate measurement of mineral loads, thereby enabling the government to track revenue, GST collections and the quarry from where the minerals are sourced.
Natural Resources Minister DK Prabhu, during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Directorate of Geology and Mining here on Tuesday, said the issuance of QR-code-enabled permits and transit passes would be launched soon. Manual passes for transporting minerals would no longer be issued, he said.
The move is part of the government’s plan to develop an integrated digital mineral management system to enable end-to-end digitisation of mining activities and curb illegal quarrying and transportation.
The officials of the Geology and Mining department told TNIE weighbridges at major mineral leases (limestone quarries) had recently been linked to the portal. “Work is under way to introduce a similar system for minor minerals as well,” an official said.
The official added that September 30 is the deadline for mineral-laden trucks to install GPS devices. G Ganesh, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Federation (TNSLOF), said truckers are often penalised when contractors use fake permits to transport sand illegally.
“Recently, around 14 trucks were detained in Thiruvallur district for transporting earth using fake transit passes and permits. Cases have been registered against the truck drivers and owners. We have been seeking the introduction of an online system for generating e-way bills.
The government should also deploy officials at each crusher unit to ensure compliance with the norms. If an e-way bill generated online is issued along with the signature of the government official concerned, it will protect truckers from being held responsible for violations committed by contractors,” he said.
Sella Rajamani, president of Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners Federation (TNSSLOF), said the government should expedite the linking of weighbridges at stone quarries with the MIMAS portal.
“There are still many illegal quarries operating. Alternatively, it should take over the operation of stone quarries and sell quality M-sand and P-sand,” he added.