Every one should understand the beach mineral mining and the wild allegation against Indian mineral industries and Mr.S. Subbiahnadar Vaikundarajan - Part-1

Garnet, Ilmenite. Rutile, Leucoxene, Zircon, Monazite, Sillimanite, etc., are subsumed under broad category of beach sand minerals or otherwise called placer minerals. Since these all are available together, Govt., of India recognized the same (vide Rule 69(x) of Mineral Concession Rules) as associated minerals.

Mining of these placer minerals had been under the exclusive monopoly of the foreign companies prior to independence. After independence the foreign companies disbanded their mining activities. Taking into the consideration the larger interest of the welfare of the workers and others who were under the employment of the foreign companies, Govt. of India in their wisdom took over the mining activities. Consequently in 1965, Govt. of India amalgamated all the fragmented companies and formed an unified company called Indian Rare Earths Ltd (Ref page 348 of Kanyakumari District Gazetteer, 1995). This company IREL had upfront mining leases and factories at Manavalakurichi, Kanyakumari district, another at Chavara and Alappula in kerala State and third one at Chathrapur in Odisha under their control. In all, there were more than 700 employees of various categories working both at the mines site and at the factory. (To be continue)