Chennai | July 29, 2015: The Madras High Court today held that the blanket ban imposed by the Tamil Nadu Government on all beach sand mining activities was invalid.
On September 17, 2013, the Tamil Nadu Government banned mining of beach minerals across the State on complaints of rampant illegal mining and over-exploitation of resources. The mining was primarily in the southern districts. The ban covered mining of beach sand for minerals such as ilmenite, garnet and rutile.
The government also constituted a committee under the then Revenue Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi to enquire into the allegations and submit a report. It announced it will come out with policy recommendations for the industry based on the findings of the committee.
Ruling on a petition by beach sand mining companies, the court held that the ban was in contravention of the provisions of the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act and Mineral Concession Rules, according to the petitioners’ counsel Srinath Sridevan.
The ban imposed by the Government has resulted in total cessation of all beach sand mining activity, an industry on which 50,000 people depended.
The High Court also ordered that the inquiry should be conducted by a committee presided over by a retired Supreme Court Judge or a High Court Judge, he said.
VV Minerals, one of the successful petitioners before the High Court, welcomed the verdict in a statement.
(Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/)