The conflict over mineral sand mining along the Alappuzha coast, Kerala, has spanned more than two decades, with fisherfolk and environmental groups resisting what they call an ecological and livelihood disaster disguised as a flood control measure.
The dispute began in 2003, when the Kerala government leased a 17 km coastal stretch from Valiyazhikkal to Thottappally to Kerala Rare Earths and Minerals Limited (KREML) for 20 years of mineral sand extraction. The region is one of India’s most densely populated fishing belts, where thousands depend on small-scale fishing, fish curing, and peeling. Locals feared mining would erode the fragile coastline, deplete fish stocks, and destroy homes.
The protests intensified between 2013 and 2016 as unregulated extraction worsened erosion and threatened livelihoods. Residents, supported by local panchayats and environmental groups, blocked mining vehicles, forcing operations to halt in 2017, likely due to lease expiry.
Mining, however, resumed in 2018, after the devastating Kerala floods, when the government framed sand removal at the Thottappally spillway and pozhi (sea mouth) as a flood-prevention measure for the low-lying Kuttanad region. Public sector firms, Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML) and Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL), were entrusted with dredging, though residents alleged this was a cover for commercial mineral sand extraction. They warned of saline water intrusion into paddy fields, ecological collapse, and destruction of protective casuarina plantations.
Following this decision, the protests became stronger, as the state government gave permission for cutting down over 550 trees and removing mineral rich sand to widen the estuary. In May 2020, the local residents and CPI members conducted a protest march to Thottappally which was blocked by the police. Similarly in July, local residents with Janakeeya Samara Samithi organised a ‘people’s barricade’ against mineral sand-mining at Thottapally. The women took active part in the protests by jumping downstream the Thottappally spillway channel demanding the removal and transportation of sand from the area.
According to the Irrigation Department website, 2.24 lakh cubic metre of ‘mineral sand’ was removed from the pozhi mouth and the Thottapally spillway channel between May and November 2021. Meanwhile, the Karimanal Ghanana Virudha Ekopana Samiti (KGVES) reported that 456 houses were destroyed in six grama panchayats — Purakkad, Arattupuzha, Thrikkunnapuzha, Ambalappuzha North, Ambalappuzha South and Punnapra South — in the area in the last five years due to coastal erosion.
In November 2024, the Kerala High Court disposed of a petition against alleged illegal mining and exploration of beach sand minerals from the Thottappally area of Alappuzha district and other coastal regions of Kerala under the guise of an order of the Disaster Management Authority. The court directed Chief Secretary to examine petition and to forward it to the Secretary of the department concerned. In July 2025, the Supreme Court also dismissed a petition against the alleged mineral sand mining in Thottappally.
In June 2025, an indefinite protest led by Karimanal Ghanana Virudha Ekopana Samithi (KGVES) completed four years. Villagers continue relay hunger strikes, seminars, and public meetings, demanding a permanent halt to mining in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), where such activity is legally prohibited.
Meanwhile, probes by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) exposed alleged corruption involving Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Ltd. (CMRL), which reportedly procured sand via KMML.
Fisher folk argue that indiscriminate mining has dismantled natural sea walls, accelerating erosion and salinity intrusion in Kuttanad’s farmlands.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Opposition against environmental degradation
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Demand to cancel the project
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
Detention
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
16
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Out on bail
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
Don't Know
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Non-agri rural enterprise, Other environmental services, Residential area, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Water bodies
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
400
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
2003
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Environmental Law, Other, Other
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
Yes
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Violation of environmental laws
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Kerala High Court
Case Number
WP(C) N0. 11060 of 2020 & 15520 of 2021 (Nov 17, 2021)
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Yes
Reported Details of the Violation:
In August 2024, the police arrested 16 members of the Karimanal Ghanana Virudha Ekopana Samithi (KGVES) after they blocked trucks transporting sand from the area. They were later released on bail.
Date of Violation
August 8, 2024
Location of Violation
Thottappally Pozhi & Spillway
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Harbour Engineering Department, Irrigation Department, Disaster Management Authority
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Kerala Rare Earths and Minerals Limited, Indian Rare Earths Limited, Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Limited
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
Detention
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
16
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Out on bail
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
Don't Know
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
