THRISSUR | Jul 06, 2015: The traditional clay oriented industries clustered around in the district, which had been reeling under a lack of raw material, see a glimmer of hope on the horizon again. All manufacturers, small and large-scale, testify that the lack of availability of clay has become so severe that the much vaunted Terracotta Tile Consortium (TTC), a consortium of almost 20 tile manufacturers, had to be shut down completely.
However, at the upcoming meeting with government representatives, the consortium will submit a project report on the proposed desilting of dams, which have been identified as veritable gold mines of clay. The consortium would be responsible for desilting the dam. The sand obtained by the process would be handed over to the government, while clay could be used by the consortium, the project envisaged.
“Mangalam dam in Palakkad district has been identified for the trial run,” said K K Jaleel, the Managing Director of TTC. “Dredging and suction pumps would be used in the process. By our estimate, we could obtain almost 70 per cent water and 30 per cent silt. The sand, clay and organic matter can be separated by letting the mixture settle in a tank,” he said.
However, economic feasibility of the project is a factor, he admits. Going by the government estimate, the desilting of the dam would come around to 18 crore. “We will propose that sand be sold to third parties and the royalties passed on to the government. That way, we could make up for the cost of the project,” he said. The project report will be submitted in a month’s time.
As of now, tile manufacturers depend on clay brought in from Tamil Nadu, which comes to around two rupees per kg. This brings about a huge disparity in prices when compared to the competitors in Karnataka, who avail the raw material for free. The consortium was set up, with intent to sell clay at around 80 p for members and around one rupee for non-members.
(Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/)