UP govt to use vehicle tracking, remote sensing to curb illegal mining

Lucknow, July 12 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the Department of Geology and Mining to use technology on a large scale to control illegal mining effectively.This comes following complaints about illegal mining in the state.According to a government spokesman, satellite monitoring will be used to watch over areas where illegal mining occurs, and vehicles involved in illegal mining will be tracked using a vehicle tracking system (VTS). Additionally, brick kilns will be identified through remote sensing.According to Mining Department officials, several proposals have been prepared to strengthen the technical measures to prevent illegal mining and transportation. The most important among these are the VTS and remote sensing.The VTS will enable real-time tracking of vehicles transporting minerals. It will also ensure that an e-Abhivahan permit (required for mineral transportation) is issued only when the vehicle is present in the geo-fenced mining area.Proposals to implement the VTS have been received from the UPDESCO.Remote sensing will also be used to prevent illegal mining and transportation. A remote sensing lab has already been established at the directorate level, which will prepare satellite imagery to identify new mining areas and mark illegal mining activities.Brick kilns will also be identified using remote sensing. There are 15,444 registered brick kilns in the state. Drone surveys will be conducted to survey mining areas and monitor approved mining zones, officials said.The department is also planning to increase the number of vehicles used for enforcement. Currently, only 55 districts have vehicles approved for enforcement actions. A proposal to approve vehicles for all districts will be sent soon. Additionally, employees will wear uniforms during enforcement actions, they added.–IANSamita/sha