Tamil Nadu govt suspends beach mineral mining

Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday ordered a probe to ascertain if irregularlities have occurred in 71 large mineral quarries engaged in extraction of beach minerals in the state and suspended operations till its completion.

Chief minister Jayalalithaa, following up on her action against allegations of illegal mining of beach minerals like Garnet, Ilmenite and Rutile in Tuticorin District, ordered a probe in large mineral quarries in Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Madurai and Tiruchi districts.

‘A policy decision on large mineral quarries would be taken after the receipt of the report on these quarries,’ she said in a statement here.