COIMBATORE: Following frequent complaints of alleged illegal quarry operations and transportation of soft minerals from Coimbatore to neighbouring Kerala, the Coimbatore district (rural) police are set to open weighbridges at border areas. The police department has also strengthened state border check posts by deploying additional manpower to curb all illegal activities between the two states.
Coimbatore is one of the districts in the state with vulnerable interstate routes where such issues are frequently reported. As part of various measures to prevent smuggling of soft minerals, drugs, contraband, money, gold, government subsidised products like PDS rice, fertilizer, liquor and lottery tickets, the district police are initiating weighbridges. Using these, police can measure the weight of loaded vehicles crossing the borders and prevent illegal transportation.
There are 13 state border check posts in Coimbatore district sharing borders with Kerala, of which three of them — Walayar, Gopalapuram and Meenakshipuram — are categorised as most vulnerable. "Around 10,000 vehicles pass through these three major check posts in a day. We have now increased the strength. Walayar will get 10 additional police personnel and the remaining two will get five each. We are set to establish weigh bridges at all three points and one more on Tiruchi Road near Sulur. It will be used to verify the gross weight of goods vehicles. The vehicle's cargo documents will also be examined. If any discrepancy is noticed or if the vehicle appears suspicious, it will be diverted for a detailed physical inspection," said District Police Superintendent A Pavan Kumar.
He added that 28 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras have been installed to monitor the routes connecting state border check posts. "Seven check posts are equipped with ANPR cameras and their feeds are being monitored from the control room. Further, ANPR cameras have been installed at key junctions connected to the state border routes to strengthen vehicle surveillance. The remaining routes that provide access across state borders are being monitored by patrol units from respective police limits. We are on the task to prevent illegal transportation across state borders," he said.
In line with it, the Coimbatore District Integrated Tipper Lorry Owners Association has also requested their counterparts from neighbouring districts to maintain permitted levels during the transportation of soft minerals. They announced that if there is any violation, they will initiate legal action.
Besides, the Department of Geology and Mining has completed a drone survey at 160 quarries in the district for detailed auditing. It is expected that they will initiate legal action based on the report. It is to be noted that Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and discussed establishing a coordinated inter-state framework to combat cross-border drug trafficking.
