GPS device to track illegal transportation of minerals

Raipur, March 7: The Chhattisgarh government plans to install Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in vehicles ferrying minerals to check their illegal transportation in the state, official sources said Sunday.

"Chief Minister Raman Singh has directed the mining department to prepare an action plan for installing GPS systems within a year in all vehicles used for transporting minerals," a source in the department told IANS.

The sources said the GPS would help officials track the movement of vehicles from the mines to storage houses and help in checking theft of precious natural resources.

The government also plans to install close-circuit cameras at important mining checkposts to track the movement of vehicles.

Chhattisgarh has nearly 20 percent of India's total coal and iron ore stocks, officials say.

Of the 93 coal mines operated by the state-run South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), 57 are located in Chhattisgarh. SECL produced 101.15 million tonnes in fiscal 2008-09.