‘No rethink on mineral sand mining at Alappad’

Thiruvananthapuram: The government will go ahead with the mineral sand mining from Alappad beach in Kollam, against which residents of the panchayat have been protesting for the past 97 days.
Replying to the leave for an adjournment motion in this regard by P T Thomas, MLA, industries minister E P Jayarajan said that the government has given clearance to mining by adhering to all the studies and expert recommendations, including the reports of environmental committee of the legislative assembly and national centre for earth science studies (NCESS).
He said the government had sought a detailed report from NCESS within a month and would take any corrective action if needed, based on the report. He said the mineral-rich sand is being mined by public-sector undertakings (PSUs) Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited and India Rare Earths Limited, for which the whole stretch has been given by dividing them into blocks. “The government policy is to utilize the mineral wealth to strengthen the economic base of the state. This will be done by adhering to all the criteria laid out and without causing any harm to life and property of the citizens. The three PSUs and one private-sector undertaking that are sustaining using this mining, is giving direct jobs to as many as 5,000 people,” he said.
The minister said government had held discussions with the delegation of protesters, and the talks were fruitful. He added that the protesters had not given any notice regarding the matter earlier, and it was only during the discussions that the government had come to know about the demands of the protesters.
However, Thomas refuted all the claims of the government, and said the mining was done indiscriminately and unscientifically, and the temples, schools, and even the roads have either been eaten up by the sea, or are in the verge of being eroded by the sea. He said that the protesters had in much advance issued notice to the village officer, tahsildar and district collector. He added that government had forcefully taken over 180 hectares of 3,600 people to mine the sand. He said the industries minister should visit the place and allay the fears of local residents.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said the UDF at no point had demanded that the mining should be discontinued. He said that the UDF had differences with regard to the government’s attitude towards resolving the protest. After speaker denied permission for adjournment motion, the opposition staged a walk-out.