The Hindu : Kerala News : Mineral sand-mining: storm in the offing

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Sunday, Aug 29, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Mineral sand-mining: storm in the offing

By A. Harikumar

ALAPPUZHA, AUG. 28. The controversy over mining of mineral sand from the coastal panchayats of Alappuzha district is likely to occupy the centre stage of politics in the district in the coming days once again. The issue is gathering momentum with private sector companies, which brought land in the district with the aim of mining mineral sand, allegedly reviving their move to tap the mineral wealth in the coastal areas.

Public protests

Private sector groups first tried to mine mineral sand from the coastal areas of Alappuzha and Kollam districts in 1995. Although the plan had to be dropped owing to public protests, it was revived later. Another attempt was made in 2002-03 following the interest shown in the issue by the Union and State Governments. But strong public protests forced them to beat a hasty retreat.

The Alappuzha unit of the Kerala Pradesh Matsya Tozhilali Congress in a statement issued here recently urged the State Government to take effective steps to thwart the move to mine mineral sand from the coastal areas of the district.

The district president of the Matsya Tozhilali Congress, A.K. Baby, said that certain groups had revived their plan to mine mineral sand from the coastal areas of Alappuzha district. He said that his organisation would strongly oppose all such moves.

The CPI(M) Alappuzha district secretary, M.A. Baby, has also opposed the move to mine mineral sand from the coastal areas of Alappuzha.

Plea to drop move

The CPI district secretary, T. Purushothaman, the NCP Alappuzha district secretary, Ahmed Ambalappuzha, leaders of the Yuva Janata Dal and many other political parties have come out with statements urging the State Government to drop the move to allow private groups to mine mineral sand.

Congress allegation

Meanwhile, Johnson Abraham and A.A. Shukoor, two general secretaries of the Alappuzha district Congress committee, in a statement alleged that the CPI(M) was hunting with the hounds and running with the hare on the issue of mining of mineral sand.

Mr. Johnson and Mr. Shukoor said that while some of the CPI(M) leaders had helped a private sector company in purchasing land for processing of mineral sand at Lakshmi Thoppu in Thrikkunnapuzha panchayat, the CPI(M) was trying to make people believe that they were against sand-mining. They alleged that the Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, had not visited the area despite all the agitations. Protestors against mineral sand-mining said that certain private sector groups had again approached authorities for reissuing permits for mining mineral sand from the coastal panchayats of Thrikkunnappuzha and Arattupuzha in Alappuzha district.

Sea erosion

Those who oppose mining from the coastal areas pointed out that the sea erosion at Arattuppuzha - the proposed area for mining - was severe during the current monsoon. They pointed out that mining would aggravate the sea erosion and that the entire panchayat would be wiped out.

Those who support the mining of mineral sand said that the mineral wealth of the panchayat should be utilised before it was completely taken away by the sea. They said that it was people from outside the panchayat and not the people of the panchayat who had come out with statements against mining.

The impending election to the local bodies is likely to revitalise the issue.

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