After an inordinate delay, the roll out of electronic pass to arrest irregularities in mineral raising and transportation business will finally see the light of the day. The state steel & mines department plans to issue a notification soon, making use of e-pass mandatory for four key mining circles- Joda, Koira, Baripada and Jajpur, effective from May 1.
“E-pass will be compulsory for the four mining circles starting May 1. For issue of e-pass, the state mines department will charge a user fee of Rs one per tonne and this fee will be applicable for all minerals,” said a top government official. The roll out of e-pass is part of the department's Integrated Mines & Minerals Management System (i3MS) to bring in greater transparency and accountability in mineral extraction and trading.
A committee was formed last year under the chairmanship of Director (mines) to expedite the process of issue of online permits for mineral transport. The committee also consisted of deputy general manager (information technology), Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) and mining engineer, Directorate of Mines.
A Project Management Unit (PMU) was also set up within the state steel & mines department to maintain online records of all working mines.
The steel & mines department had successfully carried out the pilot trial of the project at the Joda mining circle. The i3MS project also involved payment of online royalty besides integration with railway and port authorities.