West Bengal sets ball rolling for digital vigil on sand mining

The Bengal government on Monday started empanelling administrators for mining of sand and transportation to stockyards available to be purchased. In addition to 24/7 CCTV camera surveillance at the mines and stockyards, at the mines and stockyards, all vehicles ferrying sand must have RFID ta tags or GPS work with computation of excursions made.

The state cabinet had last month taken a choice to draw up a brand new sand mining policy for greater transparency and nil environmental damage. The West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation (WBMDTCL) — workplace under the industries department — was given the responsibility to watch mining rather than the land and land reforms department, whose officials have often been accused of corruption.

The agency has now directed operators to put in GPS or RFID devices altogether sand vehicles. the ultimate list of operators is predicted to be ready by October. they're going to be enrolled for five years.

An official said the RFID tags and mine-wise colour-coding of vehicles would offer real-time status on what proportion sand was being lifted from a specific place. Surveillance cameras are another advantage for the WBMDTCL while it monitors operations.

Operators are expected to place up prominent display boards, mentioning details like the mine category, its area, the entire sand deposit and name of the operator. the thought is to stem irregularities.

The official said the operators also got to maintain a digital visitor register for entry to mines and stockyards, a measure to stop pilferage. they're going to need to maintain roads from sand blocks to stockyards, and arrange for guards and net connectivity for enhanced vigil.

By LNN (Liyaans News Network)