The drone surveillance project that was initiated in 2018 by former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani to keep a tab on illegal sand mining in rivers like Sabarmati has been discontinued.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani initiated a drone surveillance project in 2018 has been discontinued.
The drone surveillance project was put in place to keep an eye on illegal sand mining in rivers like Sabarmati. The project led to a 144 per cent increase in penalties recovered from individuals involved in illegal mining activities in Gujarat since 2018, according to the Commissioner of Geology.
The highest recoveries were reported from tribal districts of Chotta Udepur and Kutch – rich in major and minor minerals.
Over Rs 691 crore was recovered in penalties between the year 2016-17 and 2021-22. In 2021-22, Rs 105 crore has been recovered which is two per cent more than the previous year. Chotta Udepur accounted for the maximum recoveries – Rs 41 crore, Kutch and Surendranagar had high recoveries of Rs 38 crore and Rs 35 crore, respectively.
During the four-year period (2017-21), the number of illegal mining cases was reduced by 8.5 per cent in Gujarat. A total of over 30,146 illegal mining cases were registered across Gujarat during the same period. The number of cases fell from 7,827 in 2017-18 to 7164 cases in 2020-21.
The Mining Surveillance System uses space technology for curbing illegal mining activities was developed in the country through the Indian Bureau of Mines by the Union Ministry of Mines.
The drone surveillance project that was initiated in 2018 by former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani to keep a tab on illegal sand mining in rivers like Sabarmati has been discontinued. The Commissioner of Geology said that the project will be restarted soon.
