The Department of Geology and Mines is in the thick of a drone survey of stone quarries across Tiruppur district, in deference to the complaints of excessive mining raised by environmental activists.Thirty six out of 120 quarries in Tiruppur district have been identified for the drone survey by the department in the first phase. Of these, the process has already been completed for 16 stone quarries, according to officials.Operated at low altitudes, drones provide unique data with regard to spatial resolution and angle of view. Drone images can provide lower ground sample distances (GSD) or higher spatial resolutions on the ground.The process warrants survey of the quarries twice in a gap of a week - the first to establish the base/reference volume and extent, which would be compared with volume calculated during total station survey, for the purpose of imposing financial penalties, officials said.Mining and quarry leases, according to the officials, will be geo-referenced and superimposed on the latest satellite imagery. The system checks a region of 500 metres around the mining lease boundary for any discrepancy and flag-off trigger.These triggers received from the Ministry of Mines are sent to the district level mining officials for field verification. The department, thereafter, collects right amount of seigniorage fees and royalty.Last year, a private quarry was fined ₹10 crore for excessive mining, after illegal extraction and sale of over 3 lakh cubic meters of ordinary stones and gravel was determined in a mine in Kodangipalayam.The quarry was fined for violations under Section 36-A of Tamil Nadu Minor Minerals Concession Rules 1959 and the Government Order 170 of Industries Department. Published - June 08, 2026 07:13 pm IST