THOOTHUKUDI: Pursuant to the order of the Madras High Court regarding illegal mining, transportation and export of beach sand minerals, the natural resources department has issued an order transferring the entire stock of beach sand minerals, amounting to 1.4 crore tonnes that was hoarded by mining companies, to IREL (India) Limited, which is the only entity in the country having licence to handle beach sand minerals after the union government terminated private licence holders in 2019.
The HC while disposing off the suo-motu PIL and connected batch of cases on February 17 held that the findings of Gagandeep Singh Bedi report, Satyabrata Sahoo report, reassessment report and Amicus Curiae report valid and sustainable in the eyes of law, and granted permission to the state government to hand over the entire stock of raw sand, processed or semi-processed beach sand minerals held by the lessees at their godowns, factories, stock yards and mining companies sealed in 2017, to IREL as argued by the state government.
According to the order issued by natural resources department additional chief secretary K Phanindra Reddy, dated April 8, 2025, the entire stock of beach sand minerals held by the mining companies in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts will be handed over to IREL (India) Limited upon getting tentative price details, including the cost of security and transportation.
The government has constituted a committee comprising commissioner of Geology and Mining, Chief Executive Officer of Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board, and Special secretary of finance department to approve the cost of minerals.
The district collectors of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari have been instructed to constitute a multi-disciplinary team comprising officials of revenue, survey, geology and mining, and Atomic mineral directorate and IREL (India) Limited to monitor the transportation process, and to provide 24x7 police protection at the places where the stock is held currently.
The collectors have also been told to initiate necessary actions to recover the cost of minerals and royalty of Rs 5,832 crore from private lessees for the minerals illegally mined, transported and exported between 2000 and 2017, said the order.
Over 49 godowns in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari were sealed by the Satyabrata Sahoo committee after a court ordered assessment of stock in 2017-18. While Sahoo reported 1.5 crore tonnes of minerals including garnet, ilmenite, rutile,zircon, sillimanite and leucoxene in the stock, the reassessment report in 2023 said there was only 1.4 crore tonnes and the rest had allegedly been stolen.
The HC, underscoring the Amicus Curiae’s findings, declared that the 1.4 crore tonnes of minerals hoarded at all the godowns and stockyards are illegally mined, as mining was banned in September 2013.
