PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss has appealed to the Tamil Nadu State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to stop granting permissions for new river sand quarries. In a letter addressed to the SEIAA Chairperson on May 26, 2025, Dr. Ramadoss urged the authority not only to suspend approvals for new sand mining operations but also to revoke existing permissions and close currently operational quarries.
Highlighting severe ecological damage caused by excessive and illegal sand mining, Dr. Ramadoss cautioned against the state government’s reported plans to open over 20 additional sand quarries across 13 districts. He specifically noted that SEIAA had issued a No-Objection Certificate for a quarry in Kiliyanur village, Cuddalore district, with similar approvals pending for other proposed sites.
Criticizing figures from the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department’s 2024-25 policy document, Dr. Ramadoss called the government’s claim about sand extraction volumes and revenue generation misleading. According to the document, revenue of ₹22.21 crore was generated in 2023-24 from 23 operational quarries selling sand at ₹1,000 per unit, implying extraction of approximately 9,656 units per quarry annually. This corresponds to about 26 units a day, roughly 10 truckloads, a figure Dr. Ramadoss disputes given reports of thousands of trucks waiting at quarry sites.
He further accused enforcement authorities’ findings that illegal mining spanned 987 hectares—five times the permitted area—and that actual sand extraction was sevenfold higher than government figures, estimating 27.7 lakh units mined versus the reported 4.05 lakh over two years.
Dr. Ramadoss condemned the blatant violations of SEIAA's stipulated mining conditions by the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department despite having obtained the Authority’s prior approval. He emphasized the urgent need to protect the environment and ensure sustainable mining practices.
