SoniaG UPA, protect the world's thorium nuclear reserves and alluvial top soil of the nation.
Govt. of Andhra Pradesh should cancel its MoUs establishing collaboration with private companies for private coastal placer sand mining. This mining of coastal placer sands should be entrusted only to the Public Sector Undertaking, IREL under DAE control for effective protection of the nation's thorium reserves ans rare earths.
Govt. of Andhra Pradesh should cancel its MoUs establishing collaboration with private companies for private coastal placer sand mining. This mining of coastal placer sands should be entrusted only to the Public Sector Undertaking, IREL under DAE control for effective protection of the nation's thorium reserves ans rare earths.
DAE should cancel their 2006 notification since the Mines Act -- Act 1957. (No. 67 of 1957) --has NOT been amended to delist many atomic minerals for open general licence. The issue of a notification without ensuring amendment of the base Act is patently illegal. That the notification could become effective only after the Act is amended by Parliament was also noticed by the Addl. Secy who issued the notification.
An Addl. Secretary of DAE, Mr. Raja, KNOWINGLY issued the notification, knowing that it is valid only if Parliament enacted a law to amend the list of prescribed substances.
The illegal notification by DAE of 18 Jan. 2006 mentioned in VP Raja's DO letter resulted in quickening the pace of loot of rare earths Atomic Minerals mentioned in Part B of First Schedule of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act No. 67 of 1957. The notification is illegal because the Act No. 67 of 1957 was NOT amended moving the selected list of Atomic Minerals in Part B of First Schedule of the Act to Open General Licence list, as Part C. Titanium bearing minerals and ores (ilmenite, rutile and leucoxene) continue to be listed as Atomic Minerals in part B of the First Schedule of Act No. 67 of 1957. See the Act No. 67 of 1957 (as amended upto 10th may 2012) at: http://mines.nic.in/writereaddata/Filelinks/e342d686_MMDR%20Act%201957.pdf issued by Controller-General, Indian Bureau of Mines, Nagpur, August 2012.
The following is the text of DAE Addl. Secretary's letter issued on 2 Feb. 2006:
VP Raja, Addl. Secy, DAE letter of 2 Feb. 2006 to RK Sharma, Secy. General, Federation of Indian Mineral Industries
V.P. Raja, Additional Secretary, Govt. of India, Dept. of Atomic Energy, Anushakti Bhavan, Chhatrapti Shivaji Maharaj Marg, Mumbai 400001
2 Feb. 2006
D.O. No. 7/3(4)/2005-PSU/21
Dear Shri Sharma,
The Departmet of Atomic Energy vide its Notification S.O. 61(E) dated 18th January 2006, which has been gazetted on 20th January 2006 has revised the list of Prescribed Substanes, Prescribed Equipment and Technology. This superseded the earlier notifications of the Department on the same subject dated 15th March 1995. A copy of the new notification is enclosed herewith.
The Departmet of Atomic Energy vide its Notification S.O. 61(E) dated 18th January 2006, which has been gazetted on 20th January 2006 has revised the list of Prescribed Substanes, Prescribed Equipment and Technology. This superseded the earlier notifications of the Department on the same subject dated 15th March 1995. A copy of the new notification is enclosed herewith.
Your attention I particular is drawn to Items 0A314 and 0A315 and the note thereunder.
Since this notification will have an impact on industries engaged in beach sand mining, you are kindly requested to bring this to the notice of all your members.
Ilmenite, Rutile, Leucoxene and Zircon will no longer be Prescribed Substances under the Atomic Energy Act with effect from 1st January 2007. Ilmenite, Rutile and Leucoxene will also get shifted from Part ‘B’ of the First Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act 1957 to Part ‘C’ of the same Schedule. This change will become effective only after suitable amendments are carried out to the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulations) Act and passed by Parliament. However, Zirconium bearing minerals and ores including zircon will continue to be Atomic Minerals under Part ‘B’ of the First Schedule.
This is being brought to your notice as required under Section 4(2) of Right to Information Act, 2005.
With warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Sd. V.P. Raja
Encl. As above.
Shri RK Sharma,
Secretary General, Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, 301, Bakshi House, 40-41, Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019
Yours sincerely,
Sd. V.P. Raja
Encl. As above.
Shri RK Sharma,
Secretary General, Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, 301, Bakshi House, 40-41, Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019
Tel. 022 22028328. Fax 022 22048476/22026726. Gram: ATOMERG email:raja@dae.gov.in
Geiger counters (costing only about $300 per portable unit) should be issued to all port authorities and to DAE officials responsible for control of atomic minerals, to check radioactive substances like monazite, ilmenite etc. placer sands being transported and exported.
DAE should reintroduce their Monazite Certification Procedure for all placer sand exports as was in vogue prior to 2006. Without such a certificate from DAE, no exports of sands should be allowed by Port Authorities.
DAE should reiterate the instructions banning the mining, transport and export of PLACER SANDS, containing ATOMIC MINERALS, by private commercial agencies.
Such loot of nation's wealth for a nuclear mineral (citing the consignments as wheat rava or coastal sands) is treason, a national security risk. The entire placer sand complex should be brought under Army control for protection since they are vital for the nation's atomic energy programme.
Norway and a Canadian Company together with China are into thorium-based nuclear reactors in a big way and we as the nation with the largest thorium reserves owes it to the world to protect the reserves. No Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) country will ever allow export of their thorium-bearing minerals without enforcing the prescribed international safeguards of IAEC and NSG.
Modus operandi of sand mafias in the country take various forms. In the case of Himalayan river sands, the loss to the nation is colossal because the sand loot causes degradation of the alluvial nature of the top soil and renewal of the topsoil with mineral-rich sands carried by Himalayan rivers. In the case of coastal thorium-containing placer sands along the coastline of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, the exporters operate beyond their licensed lease areas by entering into private deals for raking up the top soil containing thorium-rich minerals like monazite, ilmenite, rutile, leucoxine, zircon, sand complexes and replacing it with silica sands. Such deals take place in coastal areas which are rain-dependent lands and are amenable to agriculture only once every five years for some select crops like jowar. The ruination caused to such coastal lands is incalculable because a source of livelihood for the coastal people is denied by loot of such thorium-rich top soils.
Government of India should hand over the protection of the thorium-rich reserves to a joint Army command. This could be one effective step to counter the thorium- sand mafia operations.
Kalyanaraman
Beach sand mining would impact India's n-power plans: Activists
Updated: Thursday, August 8, 2013, 18:50 [IST]
Chennai, Aug 8: Quarrying on beaches in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin, Tirunelvelli and Kanyakumari districts would impact India's nuclear power programme as the sands contain many atomic minerals, say activists. Days after the Tuticorin district collector was shifted after inspecting quarries and reporting a mining company was operating in a larger area than allowed, the experts charged that governments at the central and the state level with not taking any preventive action to prevent illegal mining. "The issue of illegal mining of beach sand minerals (BSM) like monazite containing thorium was brought to the notice of the Tamil Nadu government last January. I am yet to get a reply (from them)," V.Sundaram, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, told IANS.
According to him, large tracts of land have been leased for mining at dirt-cheap rates so that the leasee can rake in crores while putting at risk the nation's nuclear power programme. Sundaram said as per his estimates, the loot is worth around Rs.96,000 crore and the issue was also brought to the notice of R.K.Sinha, secretary in the department of atomic energy (DAE).
"We have 50 percent of the world's thorium reserves on the beach sands. This has to be protected," S.Kalyanaraman, a retired senior executive of Asian Development Bank (ADB) told IANS.
Thorium-powered nuclear reactors form the third phase of India's three-phase atomic power programme: The first two being pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) and the second being the fast breeder reactor -- a reactor that breeds more fuel while it is operational. Thorium has to be separated from monazite through processing. As per rules, export of monazite with thorium content of less than 25 percent is allowed. The issue of illegal mining of BSM in Tuticorin has officially come to light with the Tuticorin district administration officials conducting a survey of three villages Tuesday. The same evening district collector Ashish Kumar was transferred out.
Ashish Kumar had told IANS Wednesday that following complaints from fishing community, they inspected mining areas in Vaippar village and found the leasee, given permission to mine in four hectares, was actually doing so in 30 hectares.
"Around 230,000 tonnes of beach sand minerals have been quarried in Vaippar village without permission from the government. We have sent the report to the government and action will be taken," he said. "We have not quantified the quantum of loss to the government," he added.
BJP MP Hansraj Gangaram Ahir had also raised the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year. In his letter to the prime minister last October, Ahir had said: "The allegations are that nearly 21 lakh tonnes of monazite have been stolen and exported, which is equal to 195,300 tonnes of thorium. "There is fear that the encashment of these precious minerals by the enemies of India can also create threat to the very safety, security and integrity of the nation and there is dire need to look into the matter on a priority and take action against the people who are engaged in the illegal business and also stop the heavy loss to the government coffers."
According to him, monazite is found on the shores of Chhatrapur in Odisha, Manavalakurichi in Tamil Nadu and Aluwa-Chawara in Kerala and only Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL) is allowed to process the precious minerals. In 2007, certain BSMs - titanium bearing minerals (ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene) and zircon- were delisted from the list of prescribed substances under the Atomic Energy Act and are now under open general licence (OGL).
Sundaram and Kalyanaraman contend that the delisting was done without informing parliament.
The DAE in its reply to Ahir April 10 said monazite is still listed as prescribed substance under the Atomic Energy Act 1962 and no licence has been issued for its export to any private entity. India's total monazite reserves are currently estimated at about 10 million tonnes of which about 30 percent in mineable, DAE said.
Citing the 2011-12 annual report of Chemical and Allied Products Export Promotion Council (CAPEXIL), the DAE told Ahir that the total export of BSM during 2010-11, excluding five tonnes of monazite exported by IREL is estimated at Rs.1,034.45 crore.
IANS
Read more at: http://news.oneindia.in/2013/08/08/beach-sand-mining-would-impact-indias-n-power-plans-1279097.html