Jaipur: The state govt will begin live trials of automated weighbridges in the mining sector from April 8 to enhance transparency and streamline mineral transportation, additional chief secretary for mines and petroleum Aparna Arora said.Arora said the govt has decided to introduce a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based monitoring system in the mining sector, keeping in view the interests of both leaseholders and the govt. “In the first phase, modules for weighbridge automation and a GPS and RFID based Vehicle Tracking System have been developed. Work to automate weighbridges and mineral transport vehicles has already begun in a phased manner. Field officers have been directed to continue the automation work even during holidays so that the system becomes operational within the set timeline,” she said.The initiative was included under the state govt’s Unnati programme, and the department set a target to complete automation of weighbridges and mineral transport vehicles by August. To ensure effective monitoring and timely execution, nodal officers were appointed at the field level.A mining department official said the system would link mineral dispatch permits, transport vehicles and authorised weighbridges on a single digital platform.“Each mineral transport vehicle will be fitted with an RFID tag and GPS device. When the vehicle reaches an authorised weighbridge, the RFID reader installed at the entry point will automatically identify the vehicle and retrieve its permit details from the central database,” the official said.Once identified, the vehicle would pass over the automated weighbridge where its weight would be recorded digitally, and the data would be instantly transmitted to the department’s central monitoring system without any manual entry.“The entire process will be automated. The system will capture the vehicle number, mining lease details, mineral type and weight, and upload the information in real time. This will make it difficult to manipulate records or transport minerals without authorisation,” another official said.Officials said the Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) would also allow authorities to monitor the movement of mineral transport vehicles from the mine to their destination.“With GPS tracking integrated into the system, the department will be able to track routes, detect deviations and identify suspicious movement of mineral transport vehicles,” an official said.Officials said the trial would begin with the automation of a selected weighbridge under the Jaipur jurisdiction, after which a live demonstration of the system would be carried out.
