: The Tirunelveli District Level Committee, which found V.V. Minerals, owned by mining baron S. Vaikundarajan, guilty of transporting 9.65 lakh tonnes of heavy minerals during 2014-15 and 2015-16, met on October 18 and November 9 to review the finding of the Radhapuram Taluk Level Committee.
The latter had, in June, absolved the two companies and two other lessees of any wrongdoing. Two individuals – V.S. Kumaresan, half-brother of Mr. Vaikundarajan, and D. Dhaya Devadas, who runs Indian Garnet Sand – had submitted petitions against Mr. Vaikundarajan and his associates.
On the overall operations of the two companies in the 15 years, the committee, headed by District Collector M. Karunakaran, stated that the quantum of about 41.08 lakh tonnes of raw sand/minerals, as available with V.V. Minerals on March 31 this year, was regarded as “illegally mined, illegally transported and illegally stored.” Similarly, in respect of the other company, the figure was around 18.5 lakh tonnes, which was termed as illegal.
The Hindu made attempts to get Mr. Vaikundarajan’s response to the district level committee’s conclusions, but till the publication of this news story, there was no response. The district level committee criticised the taluk level committee for “non application of mind” as it had agreed with the submission of V.V. Minerals on the quantum of minerals mined and transported by the company during the reference period (15 years).
In respect of one of the lessees, it even pulled up the Radhapuram panel for examining the issue of minerals mined and transported without knowing the meaning of “raw sand” and “minerals.” While coming down on the taluk committee for having failed to make “surprise inspection” of the coastal areas for prevention of illegal mining and transportation of minerals, the district committee pointed out that the seizure of four vehicles by the Cheranmahadevi sub-collector in August 2016 was “material proof for continuous illegal mining by the companies.” Sources in the Tirunelveli district administration say that valuation of illegally mined raw sand and minerals has not been carried out as the issue has not yet been resolved.
