TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: Techno Purple IT Solutions Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, has been granted No Objection Certificate for installation of Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) on barges by Directorate of Mines and Geology, with the aim of curbing illegal transportation of iron-ore on barges.
Only barges registered with Goa Barge Owners Association (GBOA) would be eligible for fixing VTS. About 60 barges of the 400 plying through River Mandovi belong to mining companies and are not registered with GBOA.
The Mumbai firm has been directed to provide one user name and two different passwords for the use of department, by which all the barges would be tracked. The department, in September 2012 had issued directions to all barges to install automatic identification system (AIS) and VTS, failing which the vessels would not be allowed to transport mineral ore.
Mining has currently been suspended following directions from Supreme Court. As a result of this, the barge operators are eyeing business in Maharashtra and Gujarat and accordingly around 25 had submitted applications to Captain of Ports (CoP) seeking NOC. CoP has already granted NOCs to nine barges.
