Date:31.07.

2015

PMK Founder Dr. S. Ramadoss Statement

PERMISSION FOR MINERAL SAND

LOOTING? TN GOVT SHOULD APPEAL
Madras high court has ruled invalid the two Tamil Nadu government orders banning mineral sand
quarrying in Tamil Nadu. This gives way for closed sand quarries belonging to two notorious firms to
reopen and start quarrying mineral sand.
The Madras High Court gave this ruling in the case filed by V.V. Minerals and Transworld Garnet
companies owned by Vaigunda Rajan. The court added that the orders apply only to these two
enterprises and ban will remain for other beach sand quarrying companies and Gagandeep Singh
Bedi committees report remains valid for other companies. This judgement will have serious bearings.
In the year 2013, the then collector of Thoothukudi district recommended to the government that
sand is quarried and transported illegally from the mines licensed for mineral sand quarrying by V. V.
Minerals and it was necessary to investigate the matter with a special committee. Following this Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa banned mineral sand quarrying in Thoothukudi district from 08.08.2013 and
also constituted a High Level Committee under the then revenue secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi.
As per the recommendations of the Gagandeep Singh Committee which was submitted after detailed
investigations, 71 private quarries operating in Nellai, Kanyakumari, Madurai and Trichy districts were
banned from mining. With the ban still in place, the Madras high court had given relief to V.V. Minerals
and Transworld Garnet to resume mining in their quarries. The court has also ruled that the
observations of the Gagandeep Singh Bedi committee report regarding these two firms are invalid
and had constituted a Committee under retired high court judge V. K. Sharma to investigate the
accusations against these firms. The justification given for arriving this conclusion appears filmsy.
Gagandeep Singh Bedi who headed the investigating committee was the Deputy Collector of Tirunelveli
district 18 years ago, i.e. in the year 1997-98. V. V. Minerals and Transworld Garnet had argued in the
court that during his tenure in Tirunelveli, Vaigundarajan complained against Gagandeep Singh Bedi
in the National Human Rights Commission and hence Bedi had a motive against them while preparing
the report. The High Court Judge Raja had accepted this argument and given relief to the two
enterprises. The ban on mineral sand quarrying was necessary from national security point of view
rather than just for economic reasons. Tamil Nadu government should have argued its case much

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more powerfully in the court. Government should have put forth valid reasons for the banning of
mineral sand mining and fought effectively.
But the lackadaisical presentation of the Tamil Nadu government in the court raises many questions.
Bedi Committee submitted its report on the 17.09.13 but it was not published for two years after
that. The government did not get the report of the second phase of investigations even 20 months
after completion. There is a strong suspicion that the Tamil Nadu Government is acting to favour V. V.
Minerals. The Chief Minister herself has admitted to strong bond between her and V. V. Minerals.
Hence there is more than ample reasons to believe that the Government loosely held them in this
case and let the ban to be removed for these two enterprises.
It is estimated that about Rs. 60 lakh crores worth Monazite had been smuggled from Indian sea
shores between 2002 and 2012. The union government has submitted a paper in the Parliament
about the illegal mining of monazite. Estimates suggest that about Rs. 45 lakh crores worth of monazite
had been smuggled from the beaches of Tamil Nadu. 90% of mineral sand trade is with V. V. Minerals.
PMK had already submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Tamil Nadu demanding a probe in to
mineral sand quarrying. PMK has also held a number of demonstrations and agitations against mineral
sand mining. At this juncture the attempt to paint V. V. Minerals as innocent through court verdict
with the aid of Tamil Nadu government is shocking.
Gagandeep Singh Bedi is an honest officer with an unblemished track record. His actions during
Tsunami, floods and other natural disasters were appreciated by all sections. He had never been
blamed to act on vengeance. In these circumstances indirectly abutting the release of the mineral
sand smugglers on the basis of their grouse about this honest officer would set a bad precedence. It
is possible that mineral smugglers may present similar complaints about Sagayam also and escape
from the granite scam also.
Hence the Tamil Nadu government should contest the judgement of the Madras high court. The
Government should also ensure that V.V. Minerals and Transworld do not erase the evidences against
them in the interim period. If the Tamil Nadu government which had been approaching the apex
court for even small matters, does not appeal against the Madras high court verdict, people will
conclude the government is acting in favour of V. V. Minerals.

Yours,

(Dr. S.Ramadoss)