CHENNAI: In a move aimed at ensuring adequate availability of construction materials within the State, the Tamil Nadu government has amended the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage of Minerals and Mineral Dealers Rules, 2011, empowering the Director of Geology and Mining to regulate the transport of rough stone and allied products to neighbouring states, including by imposing a temporary ban.

The amendment, notified through the government order of the Natural Resources Department on July 9, inserts a new Rule 3-A under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.

Under the new provision, the Director of Geology and Mining will regulate the transport of rough stone, including khandas and boulders, as well as size-reduced materials such as M-Sand, metal jelly, ballast, millstones, hand chakais, and building and road construction stones from across the Tamil Nadu border to other states.

The rule empowers the Director to impose a temporary ban on the movement of these materials outside the State whenever necessary to ensure their adequate availability within Tamil Nadu.

The amendment comes at a time when the State has been stepping up measures to regulate the mining sector and address concerns over the availability and pricing of construction materials. In recent months, the government has intensified action against illegal mining amid concerns over supply disruptions and rising prices of M-Sand and blue metal.

Welcoming the move, environmental organisation Poovulagin Nanbargal said the amendment would help prevent the overexploitation of Tamil Nadu's natural resources.

It noted that the new provision empowers the Director of Geology and Mining to regulate the transportation of mineral resources to neighbouring states and, where necessary, impose an interim ban on their movement to ensure adequate availability for the state's own requirements.

The organisation said Tamil Nadu's natural resources belong to the public and should not be sold to neighbouring states solely for the commercial profit of private individuals. It added that the amendment was aimed at preventing the extraction of mineral resources beyond the state's requirements and curbing the excessive exploitation of its mineral wealth.