Thiruvananthapuram: Evidence has emerged regarding the belated cancellation of the black sand mining permit issued to Kerala Rare Earths and Minerals Limited (KREML), a company backed by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL). It has come to light that the state government revoked the permit five years after the central government amended the law.
The central government’s amendment to the law in February 2019 mandated that only public sector organisations could engage in the mining of atomic minerals. Despite the Director of Mining and Geology alerting the government about this in April 2019, action was taken when the monthly payment issue surfaced in December 2023.
The release of these records follows allegations by MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who claimed that significant sums were transferred monthly to Veena Vijayan’s bank account as gratitude for her assistance to CMRL, allegedly under the direction of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Furthermore, Kuzhalnadan points to the state government’s disregard for a Supreme Court directive issued in 2016, which authorised the government to assume control and designate the coastal areas where black sand deposits were discovered. He asserts that the real culprit is not Veena Vijayan but the Chief Minister.
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