A high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Wednesday decided to set up an expert committee to study the impact of mineral sand-mining in the coastal village of Alappad in Kollam district.
The meeting decided to temporarily stop the process of sea washing or surface mining of sand that is being blamed for the attrition of coastal land in Alappad grama panchayat.
The process will be suspended till the expert committee submitted its interim report.
Committee
A monitoring committee comprising the District Collector and elected representatives would be set up.
The meeting decided not to yield to the demand to stop sand-mining. MLAs from the district stressed the need to continue scientific methods of sand extraction. Ministers E.P. Jayarajan and J. Mercykutty Amma, senior officials, and elected representatives were present.
Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan will hold talks with the action council spearheading the Save Alappad campaign on Thursday.
Mr. Jayarajan had earlier made it clear that there was no question of the government stopping sand-mining activities at Alappad as a condition for talks with the action council. He said that the public sector Indian Rare Earths had a long-term lease on the mining activities which provided a livelihood for hundreds of families in the area.
Meanwhile K.C. Sreekumar, leader of the Janakeeya Samara Samiti, said they are totally clueless about the latest developments. "We don't know anything about the outcome of the high-level meeting held on Wednesday. We came to know that another meeting will be held with members of the action council on Thursday, but they haven't invited any of us including panchayat members," he said.
