CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government will stop issuing transport permits and transit passes to vehicles carrying minerals from Sunday, unless they install AIS-140-compliant GPS devices integrated with the State's Mineral Management System (MiMaS) portal, tightening surveillance of mineral transportation to curb illegal mining and unauthorised movement of resources.

The Directorate of Geology and Mining announced the enforcement measure on Saturday, as the October 31 deadline for installing the mandatory tracking devices and completing their online integration expired.

The department had earlier directed all vehicles transporting minerals in the State to install AIS-140-standard GPS devices and link them to the MiMaS portal to facilitate real-time tracking and verification of their movement.

Under the revised enforcement mechanism, vehicles without GPS devices integrated with the portal will not be issued transport permits or transit passes from Sunday. The department has also made it clear that vehicles transporting minerals without the prescribed tracking equipment will be subjected to intensive checks and seizure, and their owners face stringent criminal action under applicable laws.

The requirement covers vehicles engaged in transporting minerals, including construction materials such as M-sand, P-sand and other aggregates.

The deadline had been extended several times owing to poor compliance. Nearly 79% of the 1.4 lakh vehicles registered on the MiMaS portal remained without GPS tracking devices as of September 30. Only around 30,000 vehicles had complied with the requirement.

The department has asked contractors, leaseholders and quarry and crusher operators to submit the details of vehicles engaged in mineral transportation to their respective district mining authorities.

Vehicle owners and royalty permit holders who have already installed the prescribed GPS devices but are yet to complete portal integration have been asked to approach the department to facilitate the process.