Article on beach sand mining in the economic times - http://t.co/EWPBCKgs0d

Drawing urgent public attention to a detailed investigative expose published in The Economic Times regarding illicit beach sand mineral mining along Tamil Nadu's southern coastline, DMK Treasurer M. K. Stalin sounded a strong alarm over environmental devastation. The investigative report documented how private mining conglomerates had illegally scraped hundreds of thousands of tons of heavy mineral sand from virgin beaches across Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, and Kanyakumari districts. Stalin emphasized that the systematic destruction of coastal sand dunes had exposed local fishing hamlets to intense seawater intrusion, severe groundwater salinity, and catastrophic erosion risks. He pointed out that while coastal regulation zone guidelines strictly prohibit heavy mechanised extraction, mining cartels operated with brazen impunity due to institutional collusion and political patronage from the ruling AIADMK regime. Stalin noted that the plundered minerals, including ilmenite, rutile, and zircon, represented irreplaceable public wealth that was being illegally shipped abroad for private enrichment. He urged environmental authorities, judicial bodies, and citizen groups to hold both state regulators and corporate exploiters strictly accountable, demanding immediate restitution and comprehensive conservation of fragile coastal ecosystems across southern Tamil Nadu.