CURATED BY – CHANDAN KUMAR CHAUBEY | CITYCHIEFNEWS

Patna, Bihar has seen many types of games in the name of sand in the last 10-15 years. The situation is such that buying sand has become equivalent to buying gold for a person who wants to build a house. But now the state government has implemented a new system. Now order sand online. Truck or tractor will reach at home. Rate will also be less.

Giving information about this, Bihar Deputy CM and Mining Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that a new system is being implemented to provide sand, gravel and other minor minerals to the people in a simple and transparent manner. Now the Mines and Geology Department of Bihar Government has started developing the "Balu Mitra" portal. Through this portal, any person can buy sand online sitting at home. After purchasing sand, its home delivery will also be ensured.

The rate will also be cheaper

Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha said that the state government has authorized Bihar State Mining Corporation Ltd. to operate the Balu Mitra portal. All sand ghat settlement holders and those who have a license to sell sand will be registered on the Balu Mitra portal. The rate of sand will be put on the portal by them. By comparing the rates of all the people, the buyer will be able to order sand online as per his choice. Transporters will also be registered so that the purchased sand can be delivered at home. They will show the transport fare per km on the Balu Mitra portal according to the type of vehicle.

On the Balu Mitra portal, customers will enter their name, address and details of the type of sand along with its quantity as per their requirement and will get it verified through OTP and then the order will be booked. Customers can purchase sand directly from the operating sand ghats or licensed traders who store it. The facility of online payment will also be available for the purpose of making sand available to customers at a reasonable price. With the implementation of this portal, sand will be available at a lower price.

At the same time, vehicle owners will also be able to register their vehicles on the Balu Mitra portal for the transportation of sand. For this, information related to the vehicle, vehicle owner and driver will be verified through OTP. After the order is confirmed, the customer will be informed about the vehicle registration number, name-mobile number of the vehicle owner and driver through SMS.

After selecting the right seller and transporter, an order will be placed for the supply of sand by making online payment. Then the sand will be delivered at home. This entire process will be conducted by BSMCL of the department. The movement of the said vehicles will be monitored through GPS and Vehicle Location Tracking System till the time it reaches the customer. The customer will also be able to track the movement of the said vehicle himself. With this, they will receive only the sand ordered by them.

In order to eliminate the possibility of fraud from the general public, the facility of returning / cancelling the order will also be available and the facility of refunding the amount of payment will also be available. The Deputy Chief Minister said that to develop this portal, Bihar State Mining Corporation Ltd. has invited tenders for the selection of reputed companies. After the selection of the agency, the entire system will be implemented in the next two months. Apart from this portal, a mobile app will also be developed for the convenience of the common people, transporters etc.