Ban On Black Sand Mining In Philippines. Vaikundarajan Explains Why ?

In Philippines, a group of environment supporters in the Vigan City have called for a ban on magnetite and black sand mining in the country. “A move like this can strength the environment safety campaign in Philippines,” says Vaikundarajan, founder of VV Minerals India, a leading sand beach mining company.

The bill was proposed seeking to prevent companies from the taking the advantage of improper guidelines in mining and facilitate illegal activities causing a harm to the environment. This disruption in environment can cause grievances to people’s lives and their livelihood. “Hence, the government must have safeguards in place to stop companies from abusing dredging permits,” adds Vaikundarajan.

Meanwhile, all black sand mining operations in Ilocos Sur has been declared illegal by Environment Undersecretary Leo Jasareno. Several raids have been conducted to dismantle illegal activities in San Vicente and Caoayan towns in Ilocos Sur.

“Black sand extraction is the common payment mechanism for the services of dredging operators. The problem lies with the local government who issues the service contract to the companies. These contract allow the firms to extract minerals and disrupt major rivers in the region,” explains Vaikundarajan. 

Imposing the ban is not the only solution. Those involved in the illegal activities must also be tracked down and brought to justice. 

Madurai High Court Bench dismisses PILs against sand mining in Srivaikundam dam

The public interest litigation petitions, filed last year, alleging indiscriminate mining of sand from Tamirabharani riverbed in the guise of desilting Srivaikundam check dam in Thoothukudi district, have been dismissed by the Madras High Court Bench in Madurai.

One of the petitions had alleged that around 4,500 tonnes of sand had been mined from the riverbed illegally in the guise of desilting and hence there was a necessity to form a State-level monitoring committee for supervising river sand mining.

“Last year too, some PIL petitioners had asked the High Court to stop the desilting work, to which the High Court had suggested that the petitioners should approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and seek modification of the order granting permission for desilting”, says Vaikundarajan, founder of VV Minerals India, one of the leading sand beach mining companies in India.

The Division Bench dismissed these petitions after Special Government Pleader M. Govindan recorded a statement that the issue was seized of by the NGT which had modified the permission granted for desilting and ordered maintenance of status quo

Government Is Doing Its Best To Curb Illegal Mining Activities, Says Vaikundarajan

The recent rise in the illegal mining activities has put the government on its toes. Several measures are being taken by the government to curb the illegal activities. “Recently, the government announced the launch of new technology to help officials track the illegal mining activities,” says Vaikundarajan, founder of VV Minerals India.

In another incident surrounding the illegal activities, some activists in Tamil Nadu have filed a complaint with a video to support the claims. “The site in question is a quarry on the banks of Cauvery river in Karur licensed by the state government. The activists have claimed that the quarry is being used over its assigned capacity,” informs Vaikundarajan.

The activists have been in action since June 2016 having started a movement called Tamil Nadu Environmental Protection Movement. The complaint has been filed with the collector’s office, District Revenue Officer and the mining department.

According to the video, several trucks are seen carrying the sand every day from the banks of the river. The activists claim that the government has permitted sand up to one metre but the trucks have been taking about 7 to 8 metres.

“The concern of local is justified as in Karur, a lot of chemicals from various industries have plagued the rivers. The Noyyal river has been declared dead and if the illegal mining activities continue, soon the Cauvery could also face the same fate,” explains Vaikundarajan.

Over 30,000 people are dependent on the river for drinking water. Illegal activities can hamper the irrigation facilities of farmers. Vaikundarajan suggests, “Government is taking this matter seriously and has put up a plan in place under the Digital India Programme. The locals and activists should put their faith in the government till the plan is put to effect.”

Philippines’ To Shut Down 30 Mines, A Bold Move, Says Vaikundarajan

The Philippines have set a standard for players in the mining market. “After suspending 10 mines last month, Philippines have ordered a suspension against 20 more mines for environmental violations. Other top supplier of nickel ore have promised to pursue strict standards to maintain an environmental balance,” says Vaikundarajan who has been at the helm of VV Minerals, a leading sand beach mining company in India, for over 20 years.

The president of Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, assured that the country could survive without a mining industry and achieving an environmental balance was very necessary.

“18 of the 30 mines to be closed are nickel producers that account for 55.5 percent of Philippines’ total nickel ore output. Considering the numbers alone, this is a very bold move from the authorities and sets a right example for others to follow,” explains Vaikundarajan.

VV Minerals has been in operation for two decades and sets an example for leading players by adhering to environmental clearance in and around their plants. The company has a dedicate cell to ensure the safety of employees as well as environment. “Mining industry is big and important for the GDP of our country. At the same time, we must not take environment for granted. Without a healthy environment, we would not exist. A benchmark has been set for all of us,” states Vaikundarajan.

Mining Activities Reported in Punjab Despite Government Ban

The government of India has not permitted any kind of mining activity in Punjab. However, sand mining activities have been reported to be seen in Khizrabad in eastern Punjab. Illegal land mining has also been reported in Mohali.

“Most of the times, river bed mining takes place in the night as the sound of machines can be heard at a distance,” says Vaikundarajan.

The government gets a royalty of Rs 960 per truck for sand mining. One truck can carry 800 cubic foot of sand or stone. However, there are environmental limitations on mining. Illegal mining trucks can cost a customer as much as Rs 15000 per truck as compared to Rs 12000 per truck for a legal truck.

Some activists have claimed that the scam runs in crores and involves bribing of local authorities. Money is also extorted in the name of Goonda tax where trucks have to pay Rs 2400 at exit points.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered an investigation in the illegal mining matters in Punjab. This reminds us of a similar instance in south. VV Minerals, a leading beach sand mining company in Tamil Nadu, has been accused of amassing wealth through illegal sand mining. The State government had order a probe into the matter. The investigation team was unable to find any evidence against the company.

S Vaikundarajan, the founder of the company set up in late 1980s, insisted that the entire scam was a ploy by the business rivals to maim the company’s reputation.

Thorium Doesn’t Exist, Insists Vaikundarajan

World Nuclear Association estimated that close to 300,000 tonnes of thorium deposit in India have disappeared. This decline in the number is majorly associated with illegal smuggling of Thorium in the country.

The accusation has been particularly directed towards Vaikundarajan, founder of VVM Minerals India and one of the leading sand beach mining companies in India. It is a known fact that the company operates extensively in the southern Tamil Nadu with legal licenses issued by Indian Bureau of Mines.

VV Minerals was established in the late 1980s and has been in the mining business with several national awards to its name. The company is recognized to the first in the industry to export ilmenite along with elements like thorium and zircon.

V Sundaram, a former IAS officer has written a letter to government accusing the company of amassing 96,000 Crore rupees through illegal mining. Following this allegation, an investigating team was set in place to look into the matter. When the results turned out to be in favour of the company, Sundaram demanded a CBI inquiry.

While there is no evidence in sight, thorium scam is another shot in the dark to malign the reputation of companies like VV Minerals. Vaikundarajan has come in defence of the company’s operations as ethical and legal. Vaikundarajan’s loyalists too have come out strongly in support of the company.

The investigation team is yet to reach its conclusion. Whether the thorium scam holds any substance or not remains to be seen.

Vaikundarajan On Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7S

It is official. Smartphone giant Apple has unveiled the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. “The phone is priced at a whopping starting price of Rs 60000 for the 32GB base storage model,” says Vaikundarajan.

iPhone 7 is priced at $649 for 32GB variant. The 16GB variant will no longer be available. The other variants available for iPhone 7 will be 128GB ($749) and 256GB ($849). The same variants of 128 GB and 256 GB will be available for iPhone 7 Plus at $869 and $969 respectively.

“The price range for Indian market is yet to be revealed. However, the phone will be available for purchase on 7^th October,” says Vaikundarajan.

The iPhone 7 comes with a 4.7 inch display and is powered by quad-core Apple A10 Fusion SoC. The main camera will be strong 12 mega pixel while the selfie camera will be 7 mega pixel. The iPhone 7 Plus will come with a 5.5 inch 1080 display and dual 12 – mega pixel sensors on the rear. Most of the other specifications are similar to iPhone 7.

“It was revealed at the unveiling that both the phones will have better speakers and battery life. The phones are said to be water resistant with the capability to handle submersion for up to 30 minutes,” adds Vaikundarajan. Apple is planning to add more colour variants, probably reintroducing black as an option.

Apple’s fierce rival Samsung has already released its Galaxy Note 7 to rave reviews. It remains to be seen if Apple can overshadow Samsung this year.