Testing grounds for Drones as effective surveillance equipment

                     

The Ministry of mines has geared up to monitor the illegal mining activities with the help of Drones. Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that can be remotely controlled with the help of a camera or geo-locating technology.

In the last month, India’s Ministry of Mines launched a satellite based surveillance system that will make the use of Drones to trace down any sort of illegal mining activity. States and countries across the world are giving a try at this technology, hoping to solve critical issues like illegal quarrying and sand mining.

Though the ministry has high hopes, many people in the industry feel that drones are not the most effective way of tracking down unlawful mining activities. Rana Sengupta, chief executive of the non-profit Mine Labour Protection Campaign in Rajasthan state, said “Drones can show you the extent of the problem, but if the intent is to check illegal mining, you need to involve the villages and local communities in the area. We already have the capability to use satellite images to see where illegal mining is taking place. Villagers can be your eyes and ears far more effectively in preventing the activity than drones”.

S Vaikundarajan, the Chairman and MD of V. V. Mineral Pvt Ltd., said in an interview “Though the exact picture of how the drone technology can help the industry is unclear, we are glad to see conscious effort by the Ministry (of mines) in trying to resolve the issue of illegal mining. Apart from being a criminal offense, illegal sand mining is a huge threat to the environment. “

The New Granite Policy Will Help Control Illegal Mining - VV Mineral Mining

The illegal beach mining scam has gravely affected VV Minerals India, the largest sand beach mining company in India. While the investigating committee is yet to reach its verdict, there has been no evidence to suggest any illegal activities on behalf of the company. VV Mineral Vaikundarajan believes that the new policy and government’s initiatives will bring hope to the mining industry.

The mining industry saw a turn of events with the Tamil Nadu government announcing a new policy for the sale of beach minerals. The government is set to put forth new granite policy that will allow it to undertake the sale of beach minerals in order to augment resources.

The initiative puts the government in good books financially although the Sale of Indian Mad Foreign Liquor is still the biggest revenue spinner for the state.

Madras High Court Stays Order In Favour Of VV Minerals

VV Minerals had filed a writ appeal against the single judge’s order asking the commissioner to decide the preliminary issue of jurisdiction. Following the appeal, the Division Bench of Madras High Court ordered a stay in favour of VV Minerals India, the leading sand beach mining company represented by S VV Mineral Vaikundarajan.

The show cause notice issued on December 26 appealed the company to provide explanation on why it should be excused from paying central excise for minerals obtained between March 2011 and March 2014. The company had earlier stated that the minerals were concentrates that could not be separated due to the lack of technology, a challenge faced by all beach mining companies in India.

Defending which, the company’s writ petition challenging the notice got the case dismissed on March 10 this year. Additionally, the company pointed out that the Commissioner was denying access to many documents sought by the company.  The Commissioner was directed by the High Court to provide the company with the necessary documents for issuing the notice to help the company present an effective reply.

VV Mineral also filed a second writ petition explaining the mining lease obtained legally from the State Government. The company further explained that the minerals extracted from sand fall under the ‘mines’ category and should be exempted of the central excise.

The court declared its verdict in favour of VV Mineral Mining justification of its writ appeal despite commissioner’s allegations. VV Mineral Vaikundarajan expressed his satisfaction in the court’s verdict and assured that the company’s operations were legal in all departments.

Thorium Mining Allegations On VV Minerals Untrue, Says VV Mineral Vaikundarajan

The world’s largest reserve of Thorium can be found on the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. If the current reports are anything to go by, the Thorium deposits on Indian shores have seen a considerable decline. While the reason could be erosion, illegal export of minerals has been cited as the major problem behind this depletion.

For a long time, VV Minerals has been the highest stakeholder of the mining business in these areas. While there is no evidence to justify illegal actions on behalf of the company, the scam has already done a considerable amount of damage to its reputation.

Authorities at VV Mineral have a completely different story to tell. Company loyalists have stated that VV Minerals has been operating within legal boundaries for over two decades and the scam is only a plot by business rivals.

Even though the damage has been done, VV Mineral Vaikundarajan stays positive and believes that his company will come clean once the investigation reaches its conclusion.

V Subramanian Of VV Mineral On The Hurdles In Heavy Mining Industry

VV Minerals is one of the largest beach sand mining companies in India. It was founded by VV Mineral S Vaikundarajan in late 1980s and has own several national awards for its contribution to the export business.

V Subramanian, Director of VV Mineral, spoke to the Business World on the hurdles faced by the mining industry and the best ways to overcome those issues. “In recent times, the economic downturn and the scams in mining sector have been a huge setback to the industry,” says Subramanian. The court bans have only made the situation worse.
Business World: What are the Hurdles in the sector? 


V Mineral V Subramanian: No other country has imposed on export duty on minerals. China benefits the most due to 10% duty that makes export unviable. Lack of port infrastructure, sufficient power, and delays in getting approvals are some other hurdles. Several stipulations have caused a major setback to the mining industry.

Business World: Will the upcoming budget help solve these issues?

V Subramanian: Some of the issues can be resolved by amending the MMDR act 1957. The government is expected to ease the process of granting clearance which is a huge boost to the mining industry. 

Business World: How can the government help mining sector?

VV Minerals V Subramanian: Remove the 10% export duty on Ilmenite, grant faster clearances, remove the requirement of taking CRZ clearance and allow setting up processing units in coastal areas, grant environment and forest clearance etc are some of the recommendations that can help the mining industry work effectively.

Business World: What steps should the government take to benefit the mining sector and ensure growth?

V Subramanian: There are quite a few things that can be considered by the government.

• Single window clearance for the mining industry
• Export Incentives should be provided
• Restrictive Import policy i.e., Anti-dumping duty on Tio2, Rutile and Zircon
• Simplification of MOEF (Ministry of Environment & Forest) clearance

VV Mineral Finds Favour In High Court In The Draft Mining Scheme

Indian Bureau of Mines was established to promote systematic and scientific development of mineral resources of the country (both onshore and offshore), through regulatory inspections of the mines, approval of mining plans and environment management plans to ensure minimal adverse impact on environment.

But off late, the Bureau has been facing a lot of heat from the courts, due to its regulatory orders on VV Mineral and another mining company . The dispute is related to the requirements to be fulfilled for submission of a mining scheme, on which the VV Minerals has complied with, while the Bureau said it has not complied with. The draft scheme submitted by VV Minerals, was not allowed by the Bureau, alleging that the companies failed to remove all the defects in the draft scheme, when it was re-submitted in January, 2014.

Feigned Scam Rumours About VV Minerals

Apparently, the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu have been facing sand erosion from the past few years. Rather than taking into consideration the natural causes, the locals are being misled to put the blame on the mining activities of VV Minerals.

VV Mineral is one of the largest manufacturer and exporter of Garnet and Ilmenite, and takes care of majority of sand mining in Tamil Nadu. The director of VV Mineral Mining, says that all of this is only a manoeuvre by the business rivals. The company has been operating peacefully since decades and wishes to do so in the future too. The operations of the company in the rural locality have also created good job opportunities for the villagers and they are all well-wishers of the company.

V Sundaram, first district collector of undivided Tirunelveli, and Ashish Kumar, former district collector, made some baseless claims of a scam against VV Minerals India. The amount of the scam as claimed by the duo is more than crores of rupees. But this is not the first time that rivals have managed to drag VV Mineral to court without solid proof but in vain.

VV Mineral Vaikundarajan said, “All these scams are baseless and cannot be proved. It is sad that the villagers too are against my firm after all we have done for them.”