Summary:
The continuous mining of mineral sand by IRE over the past many years has submerged 20,000 acres under the sea. Mining is continuing here in 82 acres. Thiruvananthapuram: Amid protests and indefinite strike by residents of Alappad panchayat against mineral sand mining, a high-level meeting convened by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday decided to stop sea washing in the area.Sea washing is the process of separating minerals from the sand.The meeting also decided to form an expert committee to study the impact of mining in the region. The committee will be asked to submit the report at the earliest, for the government to take appropriate action, the meeting decided.The decision came ahead of the meeting between industries minister E P Jayarajan and the agitating people scheduled for 5pm on Thursday. But mining activities will be monitored by a committee of people’s representatives to be headed by the district collector, as recommended by the state legislative assembly committee on environment.Residents of Alappad have been agitating for the past 77 days at Cheriyazheekkal, asking the government to immediately halt the mineral sand mining in the village to save the 17km sand strip where over 6,500 hapless families live.Alappad, which had an area of 89.5 sq km according to a litho map prepared in 1955, has shrunk to just 7.6 sq km now..