V V Mineral is the largest manufacture of minerals in India. We manufacture Ilmenite, Rutile and Zircon. Under the chairmanship of Mr. Vaikundarajan, VV Mineral has won various prestigious awards and recognition.
In the wake of elections in the state of Tamil Nadu, old allegations are being given a new twist altogether. To believe the rumours, VV Mineral Vaikundarajan is the owner of a company in which Jayalalitha has invested her black money.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this time around the opposition got too desperate to point a finger at Jayalalitha, the expected winner of the 2016 Tamil Nadu elections. The rumours on VV Mineral, the family business of S Vaikundarajan, are the favourite talk of the town for the people of Tamil Nadu. So, it might have seemed easy to link them and fool the common man. But the assumption itself seems preposterous in the first place.
Further theories also suggest that Jayalalitha has been helping Vaikundarajan throughout all the controversies that surround VV Minerals. Apparently, these financial links between Vaikundarajan and Jayalalitha have been traced by the Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party. Well, such a revelation coming from opposition just before the elections in itself says quite a lot about the nature of information being given to the common man.
But, this is not just where it ends. AAP has also alleged that Jayalalitha is also involved in the illegal beach mining going on in Tamil Nadu and VV Minerals India is linked to it.
VV Mineral Mining is the largest beach-mining company in India. It specialises in the mining, production and export of Garnet and Ilmenite. The company is booming under the leadership of the young Managing Director.
One of the leading sand beach mining companies in the country, VV Minerals India was founded by S Vaikundarajan in the late 1980s. Under his leadership, the company has won several national awards for its contribution to the export business.
In the wake of recent illegal beach sand mining allegations, the company has found itself under harsh criticism and scrutiny. The company’s hard earned reputation hangs by a thin thread despite no substantial proof to support any allegations. VV Mineral Vaikundarajan, however, insists that the company has operated within legal boundaries for over two decades. He further states that the allegation is a plot by competitors to defame the company.
An investigation team was set up by the then Chief Minister Jayalalitha to probe in to the matter concerning five districts across Tamil Nadu. IAS Officer Gagandeep Singh Bedi was appointed the chief of this special investigation team.
As reported by World Nuclear Association (WNA), the global body of nuclear industry, India hosts 3,00,000 tonnes of Thorium deposit. However, recent studies suggest that these beach minerals have seen depletion compared to past records. It is estimated that close to 2,00,000 tonnes of Thorium Oxide is missing from India. Monazite quantity along the Indian coastline has also seen a decrease by more than 2.1 million tonnes.
VV Minerals is known to be the largest firm producing Garnet and Ilmenite. The spotlight has suddenly moved to the company as stakeholders have begun scrutinizing a possible scam. Chairman, founder of VV Minerals India was quick to refute all allegations. “The mineral rich sand is getting washed away from the Indian coastline in the absence of mining, and as a result, Sri Lanka, located further down, is reaping rich benefits at the cost of Indian industry,” he added.
To pull off a scam of such extent seems practically impossible for one company. In this scenario, S VV Mineral Vaikundarajan explanation seems more realistic. India is under the threat of losing its thorium rich status due to the rising water-level caused from global warming.
V Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office in Lok Sabha was quoted, “Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL), a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is the only company exporting Monazite. Ilmenite, Rutile, Leucoxene, Garnet, Sillimanite and Zircon are separated from beach sands and these individual heavy minerals — free of Monazite — are being exported. No licence or permission is required from DAE for these substances due to the delisting of Ilmenite, Rutile, Zircon etc. from the list of prescribed substances”, said V Narayanasamy.
Following the scam allegations, the State Government has set up an investigation team to look into the matter. VV Mineral Mining involvement in the scam is yet to be proved. Meanwhile, VV Mineral Vaikundarajan has openly supported the investigating committee and believes that the results will be in favour of the company.
