It has been an open secret for decades. The sunny beaches of southern Tamil Nadu are being continuously stripped of their rich mineral wealth beyond permissible limits by a clutch of miners. But it is not to be anymore as chief minister J Jayalalithaa has cracked the whip by halting all mining operations in the districts of Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Madurai and Tiruchy. She had earlier ordered closure of the mines in Thoothukudi district soon after some evidence-based reports emanated on the alleged illegalities committed by those mining minerals there. The beach sand in the southern districts is so rich in minerals like garnet, zircon, ilmenite and rutile that miners flocked like bounty hunters decades ago to exploit the natural wealth with government nod.
Though there had been repeated wake-up calls from various quarters, successive governments never bothered to rein in those who were excessively taking away rare and precious minerals for selling them abroad and in the local market. But the present government acted quickly and ordered investigations into the functioning of the quarries in Thoothukudi. Once the report was submitted on Tuesday, 71 more quarries located in the other four districts were brought under the scanner.
Now the government proposes to take a policy decision on mineral mining in beaches once the entire probe is done and the report submitted by the special team. The revised policy, going by the track record of the government, would only lead to a judicious exploitation of the natural wealth with a view to bringing in more revenue to public coffers and not fatten the purses of private companies. Hitherto, it is alleged that the private miners were running amok taking away more than they were entitled to. By putting an end to their free run, Jayalalithaa promises to ensure that a cartel of miners does not walk away with the fruits of natural wealth.