Drone surveillance for prevention of soil mining and transportation

As a part of Vadodara District Administration and under the guidance of the District Collector, the Mines and Minerals Branch is functioning. In two separate incidents recently, the mines and minerals branch has vigilantly stopped the unauthorized mining and transportation of plain clay and sand minerals, preventing losses to the exchequer and confiscating crores of rupees. An outrage has been sparked among illegal miners and transporters of the mineral. This operation was carried out in Vadodara and Karjan talukas. It also had the involvement of the Karjan taluka administration.

The department has adopted an advanced method of drone surveillance to monitor mineral theft, as informed by the Geologist Nirav Barot. Recently, Raika, Dodka, Fajalpur, and Khalipur were the areas of Vadodara taluka where this drone survey was conducted. Meanwhile, a sub-contractor of a private company at Khalipur was successful in exposing the unauthorized mining and transportation of plain clay.
He was given the permit of 50 thousand metrics tons of plain clay that was allowed to be mined and transported.

However, without paying the required royalty, advance royalty, and security deposit he started mining and transportation. During the survey, items worth Rs 30 lakhs were seized including a Hitachi machine.
A contingency investigation was carried out in collaboration with the Karjan Taluka Administration. This was based on the mining and transportation activities of sand minerals in the Narmada belt at Sayar village in Karjan taluka.

During this, the unauthorized activity of leaseholders of Velu village in Jaghadia taluka of Bharuch district from the border/extent area of Sayar village in Karjan taluka to carry sand minerals by boat came to light. They have seized rupees 1.60 crore which includes 5 Hitachi machines. In both cases, legal action has been taken against the culprits.