Bengal launches digital vigilance on sand mining

On Monday, the Bengal government started impaneling companies for sand mining and shipment to the south end for sale, designed to tackle bribery via digital monitoring. All vehicles shuttling sand must have Tracking devices or GPS to facilitate trip computations, in addition to 24/7 CCTV camera supervision at the mines and stockyards.

Last month, the state cabinet agreed to draught the sand mining system to ensure better transparency and zero environmental damage. Rather than the land and land reforms department, whose employees have been accused of corruption, the West Bengal Mineral Management and Trading Company, an agency under the enterprise’s department, has been tasked with regulating mining.
The agency has now demanded that all sand wagons be connected with GPS or RFID sensors. By October, the complete list of operators should be published. They’ll be registered for five years.

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ACCORDING TO AN AUTHORITY, the RFID tags and weapons color-coding of trucks would also provide accurate info on how much sand was being removed from a specific location. Whereas the WBMDTCL monitors activities, surveillance footage will be an added benefit.
Operators must show details such as the mining type, its area, the total sand production, and the manufacturer’s name on conspicuous display boards. The goal is to eliminate inconsistencies.

According to the official, the operators must also keep a digital visitor record for access to mines and stockyards as a safeguard to combat pilferage. They’ll have to keep roads in working order, from sand blocks to stockyards, and set up guards and internet access for increased security.