State to integrate export data of ports

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to integrate export data of ports with the Integrated Mines and Mineral Management System (i3MS) from June 1 in a bid to streamline the mineral transportation.Steel and Mines Secretary D K Singh told mediapersons that i3MS, the online date verification and permit generation software for mineral transports, will now be connected with six different ports through which minerals are being exported from Odisha.The six ports __ Paradip, Dhamra, Haldia, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram __ would have to share data with the State Government on export of minerals from the State through i3MS, Singh said, adding that the system will come into force on June 1.The ports, which fail to conform with the system, will not be allowed to handle any mineral being exported from Odisha. The port authorities will have to download data on export of mineral from the State in website every fortnight, he said.The State Government will also have sufficient information regarding the amount of minerals being transported to other countries and the persons or companies which undertake the trade, he said, adding that the effort is aimed to bring transparency in the mineral business and therefore checking illegal mining activities.The State Government decided to integrate export data of ports with i3MS while efforts are also on to integrate railway freight data and with the commercial tax department, the official said.The Steel and Mines department has taken several steps to check irregularities detected in mineral transports.Apart from suspending a number of mines, citing non-availability of statutory clearances, the department started i3MS project two years ago to verify the mineral extraction and transport information obtained from miners with data obtained from the railways, tax department and now ports.