The Union government has modified the amendments proposed to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957 following demands made by the State government, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve’s office has said.
The proposal to remove eight minerals included in the list of atomic minerals has been amended as per Kerala’s demand.
Mr. Rajeeve said on Saturday that the State had informed the Union government about its objection to the proposed amendment as early as a year ago and a memorandum had been submitted to Union Minister for Mining Prahlad Joshi in this regard.
The Union government has now republished the amendment revising the decision to shift Monazite, Ilmenite, Sillimanite, rutile, and other similar minerals, which were earlier included under the list of atomic minerals to the list of critical minerals considering national security.
Kerala had pointed out that there would be a threat to national security by opening the doors of mining to the private sector. It had also brought to the attention of the Union government that the amendment will pave the way for the Centre usurping the State government’s powers to grant mining permission for the black sand (beach sand minerals) found in the coastal areas of Kerala as well as allow private players to exploit the mineral wealth in these regions without the State’s permission.
It had further demanded that the Union government desist from any move that would exclude public sector mining companies and pave the way for privatisation. Mr. Rajeeve said that the proposal had reversed a policy that would have caused a major setback to Kerala’s densely populated coastal region, which is facing serious environmental issues.
The State PSUs including Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) and the Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) operate under restricted mining permits, through which the safety of the people in the mining area and the environment are prioritised. When such a controlled mining area is opened up to the private sector, the ecological balance of the area will be destroyed. There would have been a situation where it would have been impossible to protect the interests of the coastal areas inhabited by thousands of people in Alappuzha and Kollam districts, he said.
