In order to prevent illegal mining and smuggling of coal in Jharkhand, Central Coalfields ltd (CCl) is all set to monitor coal laden vehicles by Global Positioning System (GPS).
The system will be made functional initially as a pilot project in two company areas, which will be extended later in other parts of the State. Chief Secretary (CS) Sajal Chakraverty, during a review meeting on action plan to prevent illegal mining of coal recently had stressed on GPS monitoring of coal carrying vehicles in the State. He had suggested convergence of mining, transport, forest, police and other concerned departments of the State Government for the purpose.
“The work on the project has already been started and the system will start functioning in two of our collieries – North Karanpura and Piparwar from September this year,” said a senior official in the CCl requesting anonymity. The objective is to stop illegal mining and smuggling while increasing efficiency of transportation of coal in the state, he added.
According to the official, the vehicle entering the picket will be provided a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag having all the detail regarding the vehicle written on it. Online photograph and weight of empty trucks will be taken before loading it and the details will automatically recorded in the server.Similarly, all details will also be recorded into the server while being unloaded at the receiving end, he said. “It will facilitate us to track the vehicle right from loading till being unloaded and get the details of it on our server,” said the official.
The GPS equipment fitted with the trucks will enable us to keep a track on its movement as well as the route being followed by it. If it diverts from its assigned route even by 50 meters, the server will get an alert and the driver could be questioned,” added the official.“Besides, the weigh bridges on the way will also be fitted with CCTV cameras which will be connected to the server providing all data to the server through Wide Area Network (WAN),” he added.
“Process of networking going on and over 80 per cent of work has already been completed which is expected to be completed by February 2015,” said the official. According to ADG (CID) SN Pradhan, the State Government has also asked the BCCl to implement the system in order to curb the smuggling of coal in the State. Steps are being taken to make the system mandatory in the Coal company areas.
“This will basically be done in the company areas where GPS system will be made mandatory for the transport companies and legalities aspects will be looked later by us. After being implemented, we will ask for GPS system in the trucks as we do for license and road permits,” said Pradhan.
Meanwhile, Truck owners Association President Uday Shankar Ojha, calling the move as an eye wash, said that those who want to smuggle coal will never go to the coal companies with GPS system and if the government really wants to curb on coal smuggling, it should first stop illegal mining in the state.
“According to my knowledge, no irregularity is generally done in the coal companies. Most of the coal is smuggled in several parts of the State through illegal mining. The coal after being mined illegally is transported through other means of transport like by-cycles and light vehicles,” said Ojha.