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.
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