Alappuzha: The contract to mine black sand at Thottappally has been awarded to a private firm Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IRE). The company will also outsource the removal of black sand from the coast to another firm. Concerns have been raised that this arrangement will benefit private black sand companies.

Since 1954, the Department of Water Resources has been overseeing black sand mining at Thottappally. The sand is extracted to facilitate the draining of water from Kuttanad to the sea during floods. For the past three years, this task has been delegated to private sand mining companies.

The objective of these companies is to transport black sand alongside regular sand. Last year, permission for sand mining was granted to KMML, a state government entity. This year, IRE Ltd. has assumed responsibility. However, there are allegations that subcontracting by IRE will indirectly benefit private companies at the expense of the state treasury.

Coastal residents have been protesting against black sand mining at Thottapally for over 1,400 days. In light of the recent developments, it has been decided to intensify the strike. Critics argue that this decision aims to solidify the position of Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who has consistently criticised the state government and the Chief Minister regarding black sand mining.