UP Govt Uses Tech to Curb Illegal Mining

Lucknow, Jul 17 (PTI) To curb illegal mining and transportation, the Uttar Pradesh government is deploying advanced technologies under the Integrated Mining Surveillance System (IMSS), a release said on Thursday.

Mining activities are already being monitored through drones, geo-fencing, RFID tags, and AI-powered check gates. Now, the state is set to introduce 'Weigh-In-Motion' (WIM) technology to accurately track vehicle overloading.

According to the official release, the Department of Geology and Mining has reinforced surveillance with multiple tech-driven interventions, including geo-fencing of mining zones, camera-equipped weighbridges, and RFID tagging of transport vehicles.

Additionally, 57 unmanned IoT and AI-based check gates have been installed across 25 districts, all integrated with the directorate's command centre.

The department has also sought the cooperation of the Transport Commissioner to facilitate the installation of WIM systems to strengthen control over illegal mining and transportation.

Moreover, to enhance digital transparency in mining services, the state government has initiated the integration of its upminemitra.in portal with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's 'Parivesh' portal.

This will streamline the monitoring of environmental clearance certificates and accelerate enforcement actions in mining regions, the statement added.