But our story is not about that particular truck; it is about scores of such trucks that leave the mines in Vadodara district with no intention of paying its dues. And whether the authorities like to admit it or not, the number of such trucks getting away scot free is much higher than those being caught.

If a dozen trucks of such minerals as granite, gabbro, marble, gneiss, dolerite, crystalline lime stones, gravel, clay and black track, besides dolomite, were intercepted every month for the past 10 months, at least that many give the authorities the slip, say Commissionerate sources. One can estimate the losses to the exchequer by the fact that the 12 trucks yielded a total revenue of Rs 10 lakhs, including a penalty of Rs 10,000 each.

If statistics are any indication, evasions are on the rise, though efforts to control them are also on the rise. Till 1994, about 40 trucks were caught annually, earning a penalty of about Rs 50,000. Since 1998, it has shot up to Rs 2 lakhs and as many as 40 trucks are caught in a month.

If the figures fail to carry as much weight as they should, it is because of the common knowledge that the anti-evasion staff is totally inadequate. The commissionerate has all of one inspector and one district officer; posts of two supervisors and inspectors have been vacant for several years.

Round-the-clock vigils are, therefore, impossible. Add to that the 125 dolomite mines scattered all over the district -- Chhotaudepur and Pavijetpur are the hubs of dolomite deposits in western India, more than Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana put together -- and the commissionerate's vague idea of the number of trucks that leave the mines everyday, and the losses reach almost incredible figures.

Sources say there could be any number of mines in the district that either evade royalty or mine beyond areas marked for the. By the books, 10 tonnes of dolomite chips or powder cost between Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 -- depending on the distance it has to travel -- including the royalty of Rs 280 payable to the commissionerate.

While the commissionerate's district officer H M Shah attributes the spurt in cases to increased vigil, sources say even the watch has become more vigilant since Gandhinagar asked them to tighten their belts and raise revenue.

While Chhotaudepur MLA Sukhram Rathwa admits `illegal' mining is not unheard of, he feels it is on a low key. ``It is because the area is so backward that tribals take to illegal mining in the first place'', he says, adding that the reopening of the Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation's Kadipani plant could offer them some employment, and consequently, check the practice.

State Mines and Minerals Minister Narottam Patel told Express Newsline that he was contemplating several measures to check the reported illegal mining, including round-the-clock check on the two taluka main roads. Till date, the commissionerate has two check posts at Chhotaudepur and one at Dabhoi, with a junior clerk monitoring the movement of minerals.