DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Tuesday demanded a CBI inquiry into the illegal mining of one crore tonnes of beach sand from 52 quarries, as had been revealed by a special team headed by IAS officer Gagandeep Singh Bedi.
Recalling relevant portions from the 1,170-page report, which had been submitted to the Madras High Court, Mr. Stalin said the illegal mining had caused ₹1.80 lakh crore loss to the State exchequer. The investigation was conducted in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts.
“Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami should order a CBI inquiry based on the report of Mr. Bedi. If he is not ready to do that, the Centre should step in and order an inquiry, taking into consideration the irregularities in the mining of monazite, used in nuclear plants, since it posed a threat to the nation’s security,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said illegal quarries had functioned in 580 acres in these districts without environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone clearances.
Pointing to the inclusion of minerals such as monazite (atomic mineral) in a number of leases, Mr. Stalin said the Centre had not given any private player the permission to mine monazite, since it had implications for national security.