MALAPPURAM: The functioning of Kerala's first experimental dredge sand refinery has come to a halt following an order from the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal. It has stayed the operation of the refinery run by a private agency at KINFRA industrial park at Kuttipuram. The tribunal has held that private parties should not be allowed to sell the sand dredged from Ponnani harbour. However, there is no restriction for the dredging.
The Rs 8-crore processing unit, which was inaugurated earlier this month, was set up by a private company for the ports department's experimental project under the public-private participation (PPP) model. "We will approach the tribunal to resume the functioning of the unit," said Mr V.V Prasad, port conservator of Ponnai. The government plans to roll out the project named 'Ponnani model' in all the ports in the state to utilise the dredged sand to produce construction grade sand at cheaper price to beat the environmental restrictions for sand mining and sand crunch in the industry.
The ports department has also started sales of the refined dredge sand through its online portal. The sales are under the watch of the government. Meanwhile, ports minister Kadannapally Ramachandran said on Thursday that any attempts to undermine the project would be defended firmly. The government would go on with the sand process unit and vested interests of sand mafia would be thwarted, Mr Ramachandran said in meeting held in the wake of NGT order at the minister's chamber in Thiruvanathapuram.
