CHENNAI: CBI booked 21 people, six of their firms, and unknown public servants on charges of illegal mining of beach sand minerals in Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, and Tuticorin districts from 1995 until 2015.
S Vaikundarajan, mining baron and exporter of minerals, was named in three FIRs. He was the first accused as managing director of VV Minerals and the second and third accused as directors of two other sand mining firms. Others named in the FIRs include his sons Velmurugan and Subramanian, brother S Jagatheesan, and Jagatheesan’s sons Muthurajan, Chenthilrajan, and Subburajan.
The six firms booked were Transworld Garnet India Ltd; Indian Ocean Garnet Sands Company Ltd; Industrial Mineral India Pvt Ltd; Beach Minerals Company Ltd; VV Minerals; and another firm. Also booked were their directors, mining licence holders, and employees.
Five inspectors, a DSP, and an ASP were appointed investigation officers to carry out investigations in individual FIRs, as the Madras High Court directed the CBI to investigate the illegal beach mining in different aspects, including the collusion of govt servants and approval to mine minerals such as zircon and monazite without the Centre’s approval.
According to the CBI, Vaikundarajan, through his VV Minerals, received 34 mining licences in all three districts and caused a loss of 3,581.11 crore to the state govt by mining beyond the permitted quantity. He was accused of mining minerals worth 911 crore after the state banned mining. As per another FIR, Transworld Garnet India Ltd obtained 16 mining licences 14 in Tirunelveli and two in Tuticorin. The firm was accused of causing a loss to the tune of 478.35 crore to the exchequer. Similarly, Beach Minerals Company, which obtained 10 mining licences, was accused of causing a loss of 921.70 crore.CBI booked them under several sections of IPC, Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, and Atomic Energy Act and took up the investigation.
