File picture of a mine in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 21: The Odisha and Jharkhand governments today decided to intensify patrolling in the bordering areas of the two states to check smuggling of minerals.

Odisha home secretary U.N. Behera said: “Police personnel from both the states will strengthen joint patrolling so that every act of pilferage of minerals could be detected.”

Principal secretaries of steel and mines, home, and commercial tax departments of both the states attended a meeting convened at Keonjhar district’s collectorate, about 300km from here, today to find out ways to curb mineral smuggling.

Behera said besides patrolling, both the government would also put stress on the use of information technology to track the movement of the mineral-loaded trucks.

“Odisha has already introduced information technology to track the movement of mineral-laden vehicles. The Jharkhand government has also agreed to our suggestion to upgrade their information technology base to stop pilferage of minerals.”

Behera said the Odisha government also requested the Jharkhand government to introduce a bar code system that would show how much minerals were being lifted from a mine and where these were being transported to.

At present, all the 14 mining circles in Odisha have been connected with a technology called State Area Wide Network (Swan). All tendering and mining lease work is also being done online in Odisha.

“We have also introduced a system on a pilot basis in which mineral-carrying trucks will be fitted with a radio-frequency identity card. Microchips fitted in the identity cards will carry information relating to the minerals the trucks are carrying. The quantity of minerals can also be known from the chips,” said an Odisha government official.

Most of the checkpoints in mineral-rich areas have also been modernised. “From now, all truck-owners will have to register their truck numbers with the Odisha steel and mines department for engaging their trucks to transport minerals,” said the official.

Digitisation of 57 mining areas has been completed in the first phase. The Odisha government is planning to implement strict regulations to curb smuggling of minerals through railway and ports.

As rail route is also being used to smuggle minerals, the Odisha government has also sought the co-operation of railway authorities to put a check on this.

The Odisha government instituted a vigilance inquiry after a multi-crore mining scam came to the fore in the state. Later, the Odisha vigilance department recommended cancellation of mining leases of a number of mine-owners of the state.