Protest against mineral sand mining

A protest march was held by the National Janata Dal Alappuzha district committee demanding an immediate halt to mineral sand mining at Thottappally. The State government had granted permission to KMML to extract mineral-rich sand for the fifth consecutive year, this time in a joint venture with IREL. Meanwhile, a relay satyagraha against the mining by the Karimanal Ghanana Virudha Ekopana Samithi has been ongoing for over 1,200 days. The protesters are concerned about the environmental impact of the mining activities and are calling for a stop to it.