Tamil Nadu bans sand mining

Moments after receiving an enquiry report on alleged illicit mining of beach minerals in six lease areas of the Tuticorin district, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa ordered yet another probe into the functioning of garnet, ilmenite and rutile mines in 71 other such areas located in different parts of the State. This time too, the probe team will be headed by Revenue Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi, who was in charge of the enquiry in Tuticorin.

The 71 other lease areas fall under Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Tiruchi and Madurai districts. Apart from coastal areas, beach minerals, also called major minerals, are found along certain river courses in the State. This is why Tiruchi and Madurai, both interior regions, have been included.

Garnet is used as gemstones besides being employed for abrasives; ilmenite is the major source of titanium and rutile, a commercially important titanium mineral, is used in porcelain and glass manufacture.

A statement issued by the Chief Minister said that till the fresh enquiry was completed, the working of the mines would be suspended and transport permits would not be given. She asked officials to issue suitable orders in this regard.

She added that, on getting a report on the major minerals, the government would take a policy decision on mines of these minerals. The issue of alleged irregularities in mines of beach minerals came to the fore after former Tuticorin Collector Ashish Kumar conducted inspections at a private sand quarry early last month. The Chief Minister subsequently constituted a probe team under the chairmanship of          Mr. Bedi and directed the team to submit its report in a month. The team, comprising officials of Revenue, Environment and Forests, and Geology and Mines departments, carried out inspections in three phases, from August 12 to August 30.

What is Mined?

Rare earth minerals found in Western Ghats are carried by rivers to sea. They get washed ashore and settle in beach and river sand, which is mined to extract the minerals like garnet, ilmenite, rutile, zircon and silimanite. Tamil Nadu accounts for 95% of rare earth minerals mined in the country.

Garnet: Used for water jet cutting, sand blasting and water filtration

Ilmenite and Rutile: Used in titanium pigments

Zircon and Silimanite: Used in ceramic industries

Who is involved?

Licensed Miners: 20 companies but only 10 are active

No of people employed: 50000 (30000 direct and 20000 indirect)

Area covered: about 1000 hectares

What’s at stake?

Foreign exchange earning: Rs. 2000 crore per year

Central government’s export duty and sales tax revenue: Rs. 300 crore per year

State government’s VAT earning: Rs. 150 crore per year