A perennial nightmare for the residents of the State's coastal belt, that of mineral sand mining, is back again. This time, with a bureaucratic prop. And, the first lot to get the jitters are those living along the shores of Alappuzha, particularly the mineral-rich Thottappally stretch. It is a series of letters from the Indian Rare Earths (IRE) Limited, Chavara; the Chief Engineer in charge of the Rs.1,840-crore Kuttanad Package, Alappuzha; and then from the office of the Chief Engineer (Irrigation and Administration), Thiruvananthapuram, to the Principal Secretary (Water Resources) that have triggered the tension this time around. The letter (from the third), dated April 9, requests granting of permission to IRE to dredge sand from the end of the Thottappally spillway channel leading to the sea to ‘alleviate flood problem in the region.' The letter also mentions that IRE has agreed to pay for the sand at the rate of Rs.450 per cubic metre, which ‘has been ascertained by them based on the mineral content of the sand available at the location.' The letter also says that IRE, which appears to have initiated a discussion on the topic, has said that it would hold talks with the Purakkad grama panchayat authorities. However, even before the government decides on the issue, the Purakkad panchayat and other organisations including the Matsyathozhilali Federation have come out against the move. Panchayat member and federation State office-bearer A.K. Baby told The Hindu that all panchayat members, cutting across political lines, have decided unanimously to oppose the move, fearing that the proposal could lead to serious environmental hazards apart from health hazards to the people in the region. “What might start in a small way can slowly become a large-scale affair with serious after-effects, which is why we are totally against the move,” he said, adding that the panchayat and the public would be forced to launch an agitation if the move is approved by the government. Earlier, in 2003, the State government had decided to lease out a 17-km stretch of land from Valiyazhikkal to Thottappally to Kerala Rare Earths and Minerals Limited (KREML), a joint venture company that had a Kochi-based private firm holding majority stakes, to conduct mineral sand mining for 20 years. According to a private study during the period, in the northern portion beyond Kayamkulam and extending up to Thottappally, the heavy mineral content was estimated at 17 million tonnes out of a total raw sand reserve of 242 million tonnes. The ilmenite content in the heavy minerals was nine million tonnes. However, a major public agitation saw the then Chief Minister A.K. Antony revoking the decision. In November last, a statement by Finance Minister K.M. Mani endorsing sand mining from the sea, coupled with a controversy over mineral sand mining by the Kollam-based Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IRE), and the Centre's sanction to traditional sand mining had given nightmares to the coastal belt. Nod sought for IRE to dredge sand from spillway Purakkad panchayat opposes move