Protest is brewing over mineral-sand-mining at Thottappally in Purakkad grama panchayat. On Friday, the police arrested 18 people, including Purakkad grama panchayat president Rahumath Hamid, for blocking trucks transporting mineral sand to the unit of the Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML) at Chavara.
Last month, as per a State government decision, around 550 trees in the possession of the Irrigation Department close to the Thottappally pozhi (sandbar) had been cut down by invoking various sections under the Disaster Management Act.
Widening pozhi
According to the government, the trees were chopped to widen and deepen the mouth of the pozhi to ensure smooth flow of water from Kuttanad to the sea through the Thottappally spillway.
The government further allowed KMML to remove sand from the pozhi and the place where the trees once stood.
According to officials, the KMML has been given permission to extract 2 lakh cubic m of sand. The KMML will pay ₹465 per cubic m.
However, the move has met with widespread protests from the local residents, especially from fishers, who say the government decision is aimed at large-scale extraction of mineral sand under the disguise of flood mitigation.
Stop memo
Members of the Janakeeya Samithi, which is spearheading the protest against the sand mining, said they had moved the Kerala High Court against the government decision.
Last week, the United Democratic Front-ruled Purakkad panchayat issued a stop memo to the Irrigation Department and KMML. Two days later, the government transferred the panchayat secretary.
V. Sasikanthan, vice president, Purakkad panchayat, said the government had allowed the sand mining without consulting the local body.
“The mineral sand mining is going to create serious environmental and livelihood issues. Even after we issued a stop memo, the removal and transportation of sand continue unabated,” Mr. Sasikanthan said.
Stiff opposition
Almost all major political parties, including the Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are opposed to mineral sand mining at Thottappally.
CPI(M) backs govt.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], on the other hand, has come out in support of the government decision.