Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems, likely to be rolled out soon, on highways across Telangana will monitor vehicle movement so as to reign in irregularities in sand transportation.
The Telangana Mineral Development Corporation (TGMDC) plans to implement this through bidding. The move is in consonance with the State’s sand mining policy that seeks to bring about transparent sales and properly regulated transportation of sand. Vehicles carrying sand from quarries to stockyards are tracked using GPS. However, the new ANPR system is designed in such a fashion that it brings about checks by capturing the number plates of passing vehicles, including those transporting sand.
Records of the movement of these vehicles will be cross-referenced with other databases to check whether a vehicle is authorised to transport sand. While the system is primarily aimed at monitoring lorries engaged in sand movement, the cameras will also capture information on other four-wheelers such as cars and buses. Data will be transmitted in real time to the TGMDC database, allowing officials to flag unauthorised transport and enforce compliance.
While the system seeks to monitor lorries that are used to move sand, cameras will also be equipped to gather information about cars and buses as well. The data will be transmitted in real time to the TGMDC database. Officials here will be able to spot and track any unauthorised transport. The system will be deployed at around 20 highway locations in the first phase. Once the move goes through, it may be expanded. Cameras will be positioned on routes leading to Hyderabad and other cities.
