vadakkunatham lime kankar quarry lease · raja nagar (rr nagar) in virudhunagar district of tamil...

The Ramco Cements Limited

Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar Quarry Lease

(RCL Quarry Lease-V of the Region)

In Cluster with RCL Quarry Lease-I of Category A

Minor Minerals: Lime Kankar & Clay (Black Cotton Soil)

Extent of 123.26.5 Ha; Proposed Production : Lime Kankar ROM @ 0.5 MTPA &

Clay (Black Cotton Soil) @ 0.025 MTPA

Vadakkunatham Village, Aruppukottai Taluk,

Virudhunagar District, Tamil Nadu

Environmental Clearance under EIA Notification 2006 Schedule Sl. No. 1(a); Category ‘A’ (Mining in >100 Ha)

Application/Form-1

Proposed TOR

Feasibility Report

Approved Mining Plan

DSR

March 2019

The Ramco Cements Limited Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar QL -123.26.5 Ha; 0.5 MTPA - Virudhunagar Dist., TN

The Ramco Cements Limited

Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar Quarry Lease (RCL Quarry Lease-V of the Region; In Cluster with QL-I)

Minor Minerals: Lime Kankar & Clay (Black Cotton Soil)

Extent of 123.26.5 Ha; Production : Lime Kankar ROM @ 0.5 MTPA & Clay (BC Soil) @ 0.025 MTPA

Project Feasibility Report (As per MoEF&CC Guidelines vide Circular No. J-11013/41/2006-IA.II (I) dated 30.12.2010)

1.0 Executive Summary

M/s. The Ramco Cements Limited (RCL) are manufacturers of cement for about 14.45 million tons per

annum (MTPA) from their Cement Plants in South India. RCL is operating a Cement Plant at Ramasamy

Raja Nagar (RR Nagar) in Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu for the Cement production of 2.0 MTPA.

The Cement Plant’s Limestone requirements of 1.630 MTPA Clean Limestone & Lime Kankar are met

from the Captive Limestone Mines in Pandalgudi Region viz. Pandalgudi, Maravarperungudi (Lime

Kankar), Sivalarpatti and Melvenkateswarapuram Mines. These Mines are in operation since 1976. The

Run-Off Mine (ROM) Production of these Mines is about 1.819 MTPA.

The Centralised Crusher & Beneficiation Plant (2.0 MTPA Crushing/Beneficiation capacity) is located at

Pandalgudi which is in operation since 1980. The existing Cement Plant operations and Captive Mines

operations are in compliance with MoEF&CC Environmental Clearances and TNPCB CTOs conditions.

RCL Cement Plants require both cement grade Limestone and Lime Kankar for the cement

manufacturing. The existing Captive Mines are near the Conceptual Stage and the Limestone grade

varies constantly. Existing Maravarperungudi Mining Lease supplies about 0.64 MTPA Lime Kankar and

Clay and is also at the end of mining stage. Lime Kankar is required for blending with high/low grade

limestone to meet the cement grade raw material to the Cement Plant. Thus, RCL proposes the

Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar Quarry Lease (termed as RCL Quarry Lease-V in the Region) for Captive

Consumption of RCL Cement Plants.

RCL has applied to Grant the Quarry Lease for an area of 174.35.5 Ha for quarrying Lime Kankar and

Clay (Black Cotton Soil) in Vadakkunatham village, Aruppukottai Taluk, Virudhunagar District of Tamil

Nadu State. Subsequently, Precise Area Communication (PAC) has been issued for an extent of 123.26.5

Ha in Vadakkunatham village by the Tamil Nadu State Industries Department vide Letter No/2169/MMC-

2/2018-1 dated 02.04.2018 for a period of 10 years. The area covered under mining is non-forest type.

The entire area applied for Quarry Lease is patta land owned by RCL. There is no Rehabilitation &

Resettlement (R&R) issue due to the proposal. There is no litigation/pending case against the proposal.

The Mining Plan has been approved by the Department of Mining & Geology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu,

Chennai vide Letter No. 584/MM10/2018/LK/Vnr, dated 08.06.2018. As per the Approved Mining Plan, the

proposed maximum production from this Lease by Strip Mining would be about Lime Kankar @ 0.50 Million

Tonnes per Annum (MTPA) as Run-Off Mine (ROM) basis and Clay (Black Cotton Soil) @ 0.025 MTPA.

Cluster Situation : Proposed Maravarperungudi Quarry Lease-I (QL-I) is adjacent to QL-V to its north-

northwest direction at 0.1 km. A single Public Hearing may be permitted for both Vadakkunatham


Kankar Quarry Lease (QL-V) and Maravarperungudi Kankar Quarry Lease (QL-I) with Cluster

Situation.

In the total QL area of 123.26.5 Ha, about 88.24.5 Ha is only available for effective mining after leaving the

prescribed safety barriers of about 35.02.0 Ha. It is estimated that 24,26,738 Tonnes of Lime Kankar and

18,53,145 Tonnes of Clay (Black Cotton Soil) are mineable from this Quarry Lease with estimated In-situ

Geological Reserves of 33,89,788 Tonnes Lime Kankar and 25,88,565 (Black Cotton Soil).

Mechanized Opencast Mining, without Drilling and Blasting, with deployment of heavy earth moving

machineries of low HP will be adopted. The average depth of over burden black cotton soil is 1.25 m. The

maximum depth of the Mine will be of 3.0 m only.

About 11,26,125 Tonnes of Top Soil will have to be removed as Overburden (OB) in the Plan Period to

win 15,01,500 Tonnes of Lime Kankar. The ratio of Ore to OB works out to be 1:0.75. About 1,25,000

Tonnes of OB/Clay (Black Cotton Soil) will be utilized in the First Plan Period for cement manufacturing

and balance OB will be refilled simultaneously in the Lease voids.

Mine Profile :

Proved Lime Kankar Reserves : 2.427 Million Tonnes

Proposed Lime Kankar Production : 0.5 MTPA (max.) Ore:OB Ratio : 1: 0.75

Life of the Mine : 10 years

No. of working days/annum : 300 (2 shifts)

Pit Configuration : 20 m x 8 m strips

Bench Height : -

Bench Width : -

Bench Slope : -

Ultimate Pit Limit-Conceptual : 3 m (bgl);

Top RL 64-65 m & Bottom RL 61-62 m

Ground Water-table at : 20 m bgl (Postmonsoon) & 25 m (Premonsoon)

45 m RL (Post Monsoon)

40 m RL (Pre Monsoon)

Mining will not intersect the ground water-table.

RCL is proposing to establish a Wet Beneficiation Plant at Quarry Lease-I (Washing, Grinding and

Floatation) for the ROM Kankar from the Quarry Leases to reduce the Silica Content and enhance the

quality of ROM Kankar in meeting the cement plants quality requirement. Till the Wet Beneficiation Plant

is commissioned, the existing practice of simple Dry Screening as in Maravarperungudi Mines will be

continued to screen-off the interstitial Clay. After screening, the product material will be dispatched to

Pandalgudi Crusher for further processing. The screened reject will be separately stacked in the mine

itself.

RCL has its own black top road from existing Kankar Mines nearby to Pandalgudi Crusher. The same

road will be extended to this Lease for transport of the Minerals.


As it is a shallow mining upto a depth of 3.0 m BGL and simultaneous refilling is proposed, there will not

be any water seepage or water harvesting in the Mine Pit. The mine requires about 3 cu.m/day drinking

water for domestic consumption which will be supplied from the RO Plant at Pandalgudi Mine. Domestic

sewage generation will be about 2.5 cu.m/day which will be biologically treated in a Septic Tank followed

by a Dispersion Trench. No workshop is proposed and thus, no effluent generation from the Mine.

The Mine will also require about 2 cu.m/day for Dust suppression Haulage Road within the Lease Area

and another 25 cu.m/day during rainy season and 50 cu.m/day during other seasons for the development

and maintenance of Green Belt. The required water will be sourced from existing Captive Mine Pits in

Pandalgudi Region.

Out of the total area of Quarry Lease (123.26.5 Ha.), Green Belt and Afforested Area will be about 45.0

Ha with 36.50 % coverage at Conceptual Stage.

This mine will employ about 30 persons directly and 30 persons indirectly. The capital cost of the Project is

Rs.4.20 crores. An amount of Rs.7.00 Lakhs has been earmarked as Capital EMP Budget and Rs.5.00 Lakhs

per Annum is the Operating Cost towards EMP measures, Green Belt maintenance, Environmental

Monitoring, etc. Also, an amount of Rs.3.00 Lakhs per Annum has been earmarked for Occupational

Health & Safety Measures.

A budget of 1% of the Project Cost will be allotted as CER Budget. In addition, for the mandatory District

Mineral Federation (DMF) @ 10% of Royalty Amount will also be contributed.

The Quarry Lease-V is located in Vadakkunatham village between the Coordinates 09o19’04’’ N to

09o20’07’’ N Latitudes and 78o12’32’’ E to 78o13’38’’ E Longitudes (Survey of India Topo sheet No. 58

K/3). The site is free from seismic effects (Seismic Zone III). There is no environmental issue about the

Mines location. There are no eco sensitive areas like National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Biosphere

Reserves, Reserved Forests, Elephant Corridor, Mangroves, Archaeological/Historical Monuments, Heritage

sites, etc. within 10 km from the site boundary. The distance of the nearest village Vadakkunatham (in

south) is about 1.5 km and Suddhamadam (in north-northwest) is about 1.6 km from the Lease boundary. Cluster Approach : There is a Lime Kankar Minor Mineral Quarry i.e. Maravarperungudi Quarry Lease-I

within 500 m from QL-V. A Common EIA & Public Hearing may be permitted by the Authority for

both Vadakkunatham Kankar Quarry Lease (QL-V) and Maravarperungudi Kankar Quarry Lease

(QL-I) in Cluster Situation.

The Lime Kankar and Clay to be mined out from this Quarry are Minor Minerals in an extent of 123.26.5Ha

(>100 Ha) in Cluster and falls in Category A of Sl. No. 1(a) of EIA Notification 2006, as amended for prior

Environmental Clearance (EC) from MoEF&CC. Accordingly, Application/Form-1, Pre Feasibility Report,

Proposed Terms of Reference (TOR) for EIA Study, Approved Mining Plan and DSR are submitted to the

Ministry for the Environmental Clearance of the Project. ***


2.0 Introduction of the Project 2.1 Project Proponent

Ramco Group is one of the leading, highly reputed and Second Largest Industrial Group in South India. It

is well diversified in the fields of Cement, Ready Mix Concrete, Cement Fibre Products, Cotton and

Synthetic Yarn, Software Systems, Wind Farms, Research & Development, Dry Mortar Plants, Cotton

Textiles and Surgical. The total employees are about 8,500 and the Turnover of the Group is Rs.6,200

crores. The main companies of RAMCO Group are:

v M/s. The Ramco Cements Limited (formerly M/s. Madras Cements Limited)

v M/s. Rajapalyam Mills Ltd.

v M/s. Ramco Industries Ltd.

v M/s. Ramco Systems Ltd.

M/s.The Ramco Cements Limited (RCL) are one of the reputed Cement Companies in India. The cement

production of RCL is about 14.45 million tons per annum (MTPA) from their Cement Plants in South India.

The company is the second largest cement producer in South India and sixth largest manufacturer of

cement in the Country.

v Ramasamy Raja Nagar near Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu (established in 1959) : 2.0 MTPA (2 Lines).

v Kumarasamy Raja Nagar, Jayantipuram near Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh (1986) : 3.65 MTPA (2

Lines).

v Alathiyur near Viridhachalam, Tamil Nadu (1997): 3.0 MTPA (2 Lines).

v Mathodu near Chithradurga, Karnataka: 0.3 MTPA (since 2000).

v Govindapuram near Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu: 5.5 MTPA (established in 2009) (2 Lines).

RCL is also operating Cement Grinding Units at:

v Kolaghat (0.95 MTPA; being expanded to 2.0 MTPA) in West Bengal.

v Kattuputtur (0.75 MTPA) near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

v Valapadi (2.0 MTPA) near Salem, Tamil Nadu.

v Vizag (0.95 MTPA; being expanded to 2.0 MTPA) near Anakapalli, Andhra Pradesh.

It is operating a Packing Plant at Nagercoil.

RCL is producing Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) and Slag

Cement (PSC). The cement produced by RCL is marketed in the brand name of ‘RAMCO’. The brand

name RAMCO SUPER GRADE is very popular PPC and RAMCO SUPER STEEL is the slag cement

brand. The market centres are mainly in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha and

West Bengal States.

RCL which has always been striving for Total Quality, possesses International Certificate ISO:9001,

ISO:14001, ISO:18001 and IS/ISO:50001. The company has achieved various awards for 'Best Performance' in the Cement Industry and also Green Rating Project Awards 4 Leaves from Centre for Science and

Environment for the Year 2005.

The Ramco Cements Limited is managed by a Board of Directors comprising of eminent personalities as

its members. Under the dynamic leadership of Late Shri.P.R.Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, the company has


grown into a massive organization. Shri.P.R.Venketarama Raja is the Chairman & Managing Director of

the Board. Shri.A.V.Dharmakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is heading the Cement Division and

dealing with the environmental issues and EC compliances. Any non-compliance/violations of

environmental norms and the corrective actions taken will be reported by the Unit Heads to CEO and by

CEO to the Chairman, the Board and the Shareholders.

RCL has the well laid down Safety, Health and Environmental Policy approved by its Board of Directors.

Each Unit of RCL is having the Unit Head under whom the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) Cell

and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee are functioning. The Units are having their

Integrated Management System (IMS) Policy. The Contact information of the Corporate Office is :

The President (Mfg.), The Ramco Cements Ltd. 5th Floor, Auras Corporate Centre, No. 98A, Dr.Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore, Chennai-600 004.

Tel. No. : 044-28478666/28478661/28478656 Fax No. : 044-28478676 e-Mail : [email protected]

2.2 Identification of the Project 2.2.1 Ramasamy Raja Nagar Cement Plant

RCL Ramasamyraja Nagar (R R Nagar) Cement Plant was established in the Year 1959 and started the

commercial production from the Year 1962. The Cement Plant is located in an extent of 37.47 Ha in SF

Nos. 4-16 Parts of Tulukkappatti Village, Virudhunagar Taluk & District of Tamil Nadu State. The Plant

has 25 MW coal based Captive Power Plant in an extent of 7.53 Ha falling in SF Nos. 192, 194, 195, 196

Parts in Thammanayakkanpatti (since 2012) and 7 MW furnace oil based PP & 14 MW DG sets for

standby operation within the Campus. Township is located in an extent of 25.98 Ha in SF Nos. 1-5 Parts

of Tulukkappatti Village and in SF Nos. 112 & 113 Parts of Vachchakkarappatti Village. Township

includes 434 Quarters of various categories (A to F Type), Guest Houses, Schools, Community Hall, etc.

There are 466 direct employees working in the Plant.

Wet Process to Dry Process conversion was carried out in the Year 1977 with commissioning of India’s

First Dry Process Kiln of 1200 TPD capacity. An additional Line of 650 TPD Kiln (Line-II) was

commissioned in Year 1994 which was upgraded to a 1000 TPD Kiln in the Year 2001. On obtaining the

Environmental Clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), now Ministry of

Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) vide F. No. J-11011/119/2009 IA.II (I) dated

06.07.2009, R R Nagar Cement Plant was expanded (with Line-II) for a Clinker production of 1.097

million tons per annum (MTPA) (from earlier 0.61 MTPA Clinker) and the Cement production of 2.00

MTPA @ 6200 tons per day-TPD (from earlier 1.00 MTPA @ 3102 TPD) (Table 2.1). Clinker from RCL’s

other Plants @ 0.28 MTPA is also used for the cement manufacturing. Line-II is in operation since 2011.

The Ministry has awarded the EC for 25 MW CPP vide F. No. J-13012/112/2011 IA.II (T) dated

06.02.2012. The Consents to Operate (CTOs) from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) were

obtained and are being renewed (RCTOs) periodically. RCTOs for the Cement Plant are 180818260593

(Water Act) & 180828260593 (Air Act) dated 28.02.2018 which are valid till 31.03.2019 and for CPP are

180818261322 (Water Act) & 180828261322 (Water Act) dated 12.03.2018 which are valid till 31.03.2022.


Table : 2.1 RR Nagar Cement Plant Production

Plant Kiln

Capacity, TPD

Clinker Production,

MTPA

Clinker Outsourced,

MTPA

Cement Production,

MTPA

Environmental Clearances Reference

TNPCB CTO Orders References

Line-I 1800 0.61 - 0.90

F. No. J-11011/119/2009 IA.II (I) dated 06.07.2009

180818260593 (Water Act) &

180828260593 (Air Act) dated

28.02.2018 with Validity till

31.03.2019

Line-II 1400 0.48 - 0.70

RCL’s other Plants

- - 0.28 0.40

Total 3200 1.09 0.28 2.00

25 MW CPP - - - -

F. No. J-13012/112/2011 IA.II (T) dated 06.02.2012

180818261322 (Water Act) &

180828261322 (Air Act) dated

12.03.2018 with Validity till

31.03.2022

All air pollution control equipments for Particulate Matter (PM) Emission <30 mg/Nm3 and monitoring

equipments are installed in the Cement Plant Complex viz. ESP to cooler and power plant, reverse air

bag house to raw mills / kilns and bag filters to coal mills and cement mills. In compliance with MoEF&CC

norms, Online Monitoring Systems are provided at all major stacks of the Cement Plant & CPP stack and

are connected online to Care Air Centre of TNPCB. One Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station

is also installed in the Premises and connected to Care Air Centre of TNPCB/CPCB.

The Cement Plant & CPP Plant operations are in compliance with MoEF&CC Environmental Clearances

and TNPCB CTOs conditions. Also, RCL Cement Plant operations are complying with Charter on

Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Protection (CREP) Guidelines. Occupational Health Centre for

Emergency Care and Ambulance with well equipped emergency handling facilities are available (Medical

Officer with MBBS, DIH qualification).

About 40-45% of cement produced from RR Nagar Cement Plant is being dispatched to the marketing

centres in Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu and about 55-60% to the marketing centres in South Kerala

including Thiruvananthapuram. The Contact Information of R R Nagar Cement Plant is as follows :

The Sr. Vice President (Mfg.),

The Ramco Cements Limited,

Ramasamyraja Nagar Post,

Virudhunagar District,

Tamil Nadu-626 204.

Tel. Nos. : 04562-256201 to 256203

Fax : 04562-256268


2.2.2 Captive Mines in Pandalgudi Region

RR Nagar Cement Plant’s Limestone requirement (1.630 MTPA Clean Limestone) are met from Captive

Limestone Mines in Pandalgudi Region viz. Pandalgudi, Maravarperungudi, Sivalarpatti and

Melvenkateswarapuram Mines. These Mines are in operation since 1976. The Run-Off Mine (ROM)

Production of these Mines is about 1.819 MTPA (Table 2.2).

Table : 2.2 Captive Mines and their Production

Sl. No.

MCL Mine Extent,

Ha

Existing Production

, MTPA

Environmental Clearances Reference

TNPCB CTO Order References

1 Pandalgudi (3 Leases) (Limestone) 203.655 0.388

1. MoEF&CC F. No. J-11015/544/2007.IA.II(M) dated 26.03.2009-189.45 HA 2. SEIAA-TN/F.No. 631/1(a)/EC-1375/2014 dated 17.06.2014 – 9.46 Ha 3. SEIAA-TN/F.No. 3262/VRD/1(a)/EC-2084/2015 dated 01.04.2015 – 4.745 Ha

1805111425633 (Water Act)

1805211425633 (Air Act) dated 27.02.18 & Valid till 31.03.2019

(GO 434-0.305 MTPA over an extent of

189.45 Ha)

2 Maravarperungudi (Lime Kankar & Clay) 198.515 0.640

J-11015/69/2008-IA.II(M) dated 26.03.2009

1808128101930 ( (W) & 1808228101930 (A) dt. 17.05.2018 valid till

31.03.2020

3 Sivalarpatti (Limestone) 150.110 0.690 J.11015/192/2005/ IA. II (M) dated 02.02.2006

1808112338482 ( (W) & 1808212338482 (A) dt. 15.05.2018 valid till

31.03.2020

4 Melvenkateswarapuram (Limestone) 98.620 0.101 J.11015/6/99/ IA. II (M) dated

22.11.1999

1808112536070 ( (W) & 1808212536070 (A) dt. 15.05.2018 valid till

31.03.2019 Total 650.910 1.819 - -

The Centralised Crusher & Beneficiation Plant is located in an extent of 31.89 Ha, with 2.0 MTPA

Crushing/Beneficiation capacity, at the Pandalgudi which is in operation since 1980. There are 2 colonies

for the Mine Employees and Workers along with a Middle School and a Community Hall located at

Pandalgudi.

Pandalgudi Mine Pits are located to about 6.6 km (aerial) distance from northwest to southeast with

National Highway (NH)-38 (earlier NH-45B) & Pandalgudi Bypass separate them northwesterly and

southeasterly. Sivalarpatti Mine, with North & South Blocks separated by Lovely Chemicals Mine, is

located at a distance of 4.4 km southeast of Pandalgudi Mine. Melvenkateswarapuram Mine is at a

distance of 0.8 km in southeast of Sivalarpatti Mine. Maravarperungudi Kankar Mines are located at a

distance of 6 km in the east from Pandalgudi Mines and 4.2 km northeast of Sivalarpatti Mine.

These Mines and also Pandalgudi Crusher with RR Nagar Cement Plant (18 km in WNW direction) are

connected with RCL’s own Tar road. Mines to Crusher road is of 14 km each from

Melvenkateswarapuram Mine and Maravarperungudi Mine. There is a Road-over-Bridge on the NH-38 for

the dedicated Mine Road. These Captive Mines are located in Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi Districts of

Tamil Nadu. These Captive Mines, Crusher and RR Nagar Cement Plant are shown in the Regional Map

(Plate I).


RCL also proposes new Mine & Quarry Blocks over an extent of 1227.22 Ha viz. Sivalarpatti Mining

Lease-II (129.720 Ha; 0.24 MTPA ROM), Maravarperungudi Quarry Lease-I (498.87 Ha; 1.333 MTPA

ROM), Maravarperungudi Quarry Lease-II (23.29 Ha; 0.114 MTPA Kankar & 0.011 MTPA Clay),

Vadakkunatham Quarry Lease V ((Plate II), etc. in the Region (Table 2.3).

Table : 2.3 Land Holdings by RCL in Pandalgudi Region

Sl. No. Name of the Mine Own Patta Land, Ha Govt. Land, Ha Total Area, Ha

I Existing Mines :

1 Pandalgudi 189.670 13.985 203.655

2 Maravarperungudi 198.515 - 198.515

3 Sivalarpatti Lease-I 149.230 0.880 150.110

4 Melvenkateswarapuram 97.825 0.795 98.620

II Pandalgudi Crusher 31.890 - 31.890

III Colonies-2 Nos. 14.370 - 14.370

Sub Total 681.50 15.66 697.16

IV Proposed Mines :

1 Sivalarpatti Lease-II 128.745 0.975 129.720

2 Maravarperungudi QL-I 498.870 - 498.870

3 Maravarperungudi QL-II 23.290 - 23.290

4 Maravarperungudi QL-III 158.865 - 158.865

5 Koppuchithampatti QL-IV 294.185 - 294.185

6 Vadakkunatham QL-V 123.265 - 123.265

Sub Total 1227.22 0.975 1227.22

2.2.3 Organisation Chart

The hierarchical system of the Company to deal with the environmental issues and for ensuring

compliance with the environmental clearance conditions is appended.

Organization Chart

Chairman & Managing Director Shri.P.R.Venketarama Raja

Chief Executive Officer Shri A.V.Dharmakrishnan

President (Mfg.) – Corp. Office Mr. M. Srinivasan

Head-Admin. GM Works Medical Officer Head-Env. & CSR

Head-Mines

Vice President (Mfg.) & Unit Head


Plate : II RCL Mines & Vadakkunatham Quarry Lease (QL-V) in High Resolution Satellite Imagery


2.3 Need for the Project

RCL Cement Plants require both cement grade Limestone and Lime Kankar for the cement

manufacturing. The existing Captive Mines are near the Conceptual Stage and the Limestone grade

varies constantly. Existing Maravarperungudi Mining Lease supplies about 0.64 MTPA Lime Kankar and

Clay and is also at the end of mining stage. Lime Kankar is required for blending with high/low grade

limestone to meet the cement grade raw material to the Cement Plant. Thus, RCL proposes the

Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar Quarry Lease (termed as RCL Quarry Lease-V in the Region) for Captive

Consumption of RCL Cement Plants.

2.4 Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar Quarry Lease

In addition to the existing Leases in Pandalgudi Region, RCL is proposing Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar

Quarry Lease for quarrying Lime Kankar and Clay (Black Cotton Soil) over an extent of 123.26.5 Ha in S.F.

Nos. parts of 7 to 15, 17 to 32, 34, 40, 101 to 103, 107 to 109, 113, 118, 124 to 130, 132, 138 to 139 &

213 to 215 of Vadakkunatham village, Aruppukottai Taluk, Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu (Fig. 1.1).

Precise Area Communication (PAC) has been issued by the Tamil Nadu State Industries Department vide

Letter No/2169/MMC-2/2018 dated 02.04.2018 for a period of 10 years.

The Mining Plan has been approved by the Department of Mining & Geology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu,

Chennai vide Letter No. 584/MM10/2018/LK/Vnr, dated 08.06.2018.

With Precise Area Notification and approved Mining Plan for the Lease, RCL has to apply and obtain the

Environmental Clearance for the Lease for the Grant of Quarry Lease and for execution of the Lease.

The area covered under mining is non-forest type. The entire area applied for Quarry Lease is patta land

owned by RCL. There is no Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) issue due to the proposal. There is no

litigation/pending case against the proposal. The Surface Plan has been given as Plate III.

As per PAC and approved Mining Plan, Safety Barriers to the extent of 35.02 Ha will be maintained as

detailed below :

v 7.5 meters safety distance all along the boundary of the area applied for Quarry lease as indicated in

the Lease Plan.

v 50 metres safety distance on either side of Odai (Streams) flowing through the QL applied area.

v 10 meters safety distance on either side of Cart track passing through QL applied area.

In the total QL area of 123.26.5 Ha, about 88.245 Ha is only available for effective mining after leaving the

prescribed safety barrier. The Safety Barriers will be maintained without any disturbance till end of the

Quarrying or expiry of the Lease.

Cluster Situation : Proposed Maravarperungudi Quarry Lease-I (QL-I) is adjacent to QL-V to its north-

northwest direction at 0.1 km.


Plate : III Surface Plan


Water Courses : The area is almost flat and plain terrain with a gentle slope towards south east. The

seasonal Uppu Odai (Nallah) drains the area. There is no major River course in the vicinity. Seasonal First

and Second order streams are originating from the QL Area and joins the Uppu Odai so as to confluence

with Seasonal Vaippar River in the south. As per PAC for QL, the safety barrier of 50 metres on either side

of Odais/Nallahs are provided and the Nallahs and their flows will be maintained as such till the Conceptual

Stage.

Table : 2.4 Boundary Pillars Coordinates

Boundary Pillar No. North Lattitude East Longitude

BP-1 N 09° 19' 39" E 78° 12' 32"

BP-2 N 09° 19' 42" E 78° 12' 49"

BP-3 N 09° 19' 58" E 78° 12' 48"

BP-4 N 09° 20' 07" E 78° 12' 53"

BP-5 N 09° 20' 03" E 78° 13' 09"

BP-6 N 09° 20' 02" E 78° 13' 21"

BP-7 N 09° 20' 02" E 78° 13' 27"

BP-8 N 09° 19' 55" E 78° 13' 32"

BP-9 N 09° 19' 43" E 78° 13' 35"

BP-10 N 09° 19' 29" E 78° 13' 38"

BP-11 N 09° 19' 18" E 78° 13' 31"

BP-12 N 09° 19' 04" E 78° 13' 28"

BP-13 N 09° 19' 07" E 78° 13' 09"

BP-14 N 09° 19' 20" E 78° 13' 17"

BP-15 N 09° 19' 26" E 78° 13' 23"

BP-16 N 09° 19' 41" E 78° 13' 21"

BP-17 N 09° 19' 34" E 78° 13' 11"

BP-18 N 09° 19' 23" E 78° 13' 03"

BP-19 N 09° 19' 16" E 78° 13' 02"

BP-20 N 09° 19' 19" E 78° 12' 54"

BP-21 N 09° 19' 27" E 78° 12' 53"

BP-22 N 09° 19' 31" E 78° 12' 43"

As per the Approved Mining Plan, the proposed maximum production from this Lease by Strip Mining

would be about Lime Kankar @ 0.50 Million Tonnes per Annum (MTPA) as Run-Off Mine (ROM) basis and

Clay (Black Cotton Soil) @ 0.025 MTPA.



maximum depth of the Mine will be of 3.0 m only.

The mineral Lime Kankar & Clay (Black Cotton Soil) will be utilized as raw material for Cement

manufacture by blending with limestone from Pandalgudi, Melavenkateswarapuram and Sivalarpatti

Mines which is marginally plus cement grade quality.


Details of the Mining Pit : RCL has applied to Grant the Quarry Lease for an area of 174.35.5 Ha for

quarrying Limekankar and Clay (Black Cotton Soil) in Vadakkunatham village. Subsequently, Precise

Area Communication (PAC) has been issued for an extent of 123.26.5 Ha for a period of 10 years, after

deleting Others Patta Lands of 10.93.0 Ha nd RCL’s own lands of 2.15.0 Ha which are not contiguous

(about 4 pockets of Non-Lease Areas).

The entire Quarry Lease Area of 123.26.5 Ha is RCL’s own Patta Land in possession mostly since 90s.

About 29.53.0 Ha is barren/Dry Land (23.69%) and balance 93.73.5 Ha (76.04%) is one Season Dry

Agri. Lands. The one season crop practiced by few people in this area depends entirely on Rainfall in

monsoon period. Since access is not disturbed to the pocket lands and very small area of mining is only

exposed, combined with our method of simultaneous backfilling, there is no hindrance to any of the

adjoining lands in and around the project area.

Also, in the total QL area of 123.26.5 Ha, about 88.245 Ha is only available for effective mining after

leaving the prescribed safety barrier of about 35.02.0 Ha to Others Patta Land, Water bodies, Cart

Tracks, etc. As per PAC and approved Mining Plan Conditions, Safety Barriers will be maintained without

any disturbance till end of the Quarrying or expiry of the Lease.

The deposit will be mined by a simple system of simultaneous development, production and refilling by the

same excavator called strip mining. Mechanized Opencast Mining, without Drilling and Blasting, with

deployment of heavy earth moving machineries of low HP will be adopted. The maximum depth of the

Mine will be of 3.0 m only. Simultaneous reclamation activities will be continued up to the end of mine life.

If the Dry Fields are kept as barren, unwanted weeds, most invasive species Prosophis juliflora, etc. are

grown very fast and their eradication becomes very difficult. Thus, RCL wants to plough the area

periodically to keep away the invasive species away and also allows the own labourers and about 3 land

sellers whose livelihood is not depending on these activities, to raise some seasonal crops like maize,

etc. once in 3-4 years period. Permitted persons only enjoyed the additional income from these activities

due to the Company’s gesture.

As per Precise Area Notification/LOI and Approved Mining Plan for the Quarry Lease, M/s.The Ramco

Cements Limited has been allowed to quarry the Minor Minerals Limekankar and Clay (Black Cotton Soil)

from the Lease. It is estimated that 24,26,738 Tonnes of Lime Kankar and 18,53,145 Tons of Clay (Black

Cotton Soil) are mineable from this Quarry Lease with estimated In-situ Geological Reserves of

33,89,788 Tonnes Lime Kankar and 25,88,565 (Black Cotton Soil).

The Kankar bed of around 1.0 to 1.5 meter thick is overlain by around 0.4 m thick of nodular Kankar

intermixed with clay and in turn by around 1.5 m thick block cotton soil. After removing the surface top

layer of 0.25 m as Top Soil (which will be scrapped, removed, stored, maintained and used for Green

Belt Development), the Black Cotton Soil up to a maximum depth of further 1.25 m shall be quarried out

and simultaneously backfilled in already quarried out voids in the Lease. Below the Block Cotton Soil,

Lime Kankar will be quarried out by Strip Mining (8 m wide and 20 m long strips). Out of estimated

18,53,145 Tons of mineable Clay (Black Cotton Soil), only a meager quantity of 2.5 Lakh Tons (13.50%)

@ 25,000 Tons per Annum will be used for quality corrections in the cement plant and balance 16,03,145

Tons Block Cotton Soil will be backfilled in the quarried out voids.


2.5 Environmental Setting

The Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar Quarry Lease is located in Vadakkunatham village between the

Coordinates 9o19’04” - 9o20’07” N Latitudes and 78o12’32- 78o13’38” E Longitudes; Survey of India Topo

sheet No.58 K/3. The site is free from seismic effects (Seismic Zone III). There is no environmental issue

about the Mines location. There are no eco sensitive areas like National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries,

Biosphere Reserves, Reserved Forests, Elephant Corridor, Mangroves, Archaeological/Historical

Monuments, Heritage sites, etc. within 10 km from the site boundary.

The general elevation of the QL area is 64-65 m aMSL. Seasonal Uppu Odai drains the region (flows at

2.6 km in Northeast). Seasonal Vaippar River flows at a distance of 18.5 km in Southwest. Gulf of

Mannar is at 30.5 km in SE and Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is at 36 km distance in SE.

Single crop (dry) occupies larger part of the study area. The current land use of the proposed QL area is

predominantly dry crop and undeveloped/barren land.

The distance of the nearest village Vadakkunatham is about 1.5 km in south and Suddhamadam is at 1.6

km in north-northwest from the Lease boundary. Pandalgudi is at 13.0 km in NW. Taluk Headquarters

Aruppukottai Town is at 22 km in North-nothwest and District Headquarters Virudhunagar is at 37.0 km in

NW direction from the Lease Area.

Madurai-Thoothukudi Section of NH-38 passes at a distance of 12.4 km in the WNW. A road from Pudur

to Paralachi is passing through Vadakkunatham Village and is 0.5 km south of the Lease Area. The road

is also connected to the RCL dedicated Mine Haulage Road. Southern Railway Line of Virudhunagar-

Aruppukottai-Manamathi Section runs at 22.0 km distance in N from the Lease Area.

Madurai Airport is at 56.0 km in NNW direction, Thoothukudi Airport is at 68.0 km in SSW and Chennai

Airport is at 455 km in NE. VOC Port at Thoothukudi is at 61.0 km in S direction from the Lease Area.

Cluster Approach : There is Minor Mineral Quarry within 500 m from QL-V viz. Maravarperungudi Quarry

Lease I (498.87 Ha) is located at a distance of 0.1 km in SE.

Maravarperungudi Quarry Lease II (23.29 Ha) is at 8.7 km in NW, Maravarperungudi Quarry Lease III

(158.86.5 Ha) is at 7.8 km in NW and T.Koppuchitampatti Quarry Lease IV (294.18.5 Ha) is at 12.2 km in

NW direction.

2.6 Mine Profile 2.6.1 Geology

This area geologically falls under a part of the Archaean and Quaternary formations of South Indian

Peninsula. The integration of geological maps (Geological Survey of India) and the interpretation of the

satellite data followed by field checks show that the rocks of the Archaean era in this area is made up of

Quartz vein. The Precambrian of peninsular India has been classified into Cratons and mobile belts. In all these

places Archaean to Proterozoic highly deformed amphibolites facies to granulite facies mobile belts. The

litho assemblage of Charnockite, Khondalite (Southern Granulite Complex) and Peninsular Gneissic


Complex of Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic age besides Quaternary calcretes are exposed in the area.

Quartzite, calc granulites associated with crystalline limestone bands and garnet-sillimanite gneiss

belonging to Khondalite and Charnockite Group occur as enclaves within the country rock of hornblende-

biotite gneiss.

Geological Formations : The general geological formations met with in the area are as follows :

Recent and Sub-recent

Alluvium, of the Vaippar.

Black soils, laterite, Kankar and tufa etc.

Pre-Cambrian Metamorphic Group

6. Younger granitic injections, pegmatite etc.

5. Charnockites and associated hybrid types.

4. Mixed Gneisses - Garnetiferous, granitoid and

mica gneiss and other composite types.

3. Crystalline limestone, calciphyre and calc-

granulites.

2. Quartzite.

1. Basic metamorphic rocks such as amphibolites,

epidiorites, pyroxene and biotite schist and pyroxene-

granulite.

Black-cotton soil : The Archaean gneisses are covered with thick black-cotton soil almost all over the

area. The black soil is over 1.0 to 1.50 mts. The soil supports a variety of crops including cotton, kambu,

ground-nut, millets and occasionally chillies. Usually there is only one crop every year. Among wild plants

growing on this soil acacia arabica, jatrophus and cassia articulate are most common.

Kankar and Tufa : The black cotton soil contains a large amount of loose, nodules of kankar widely

scattered in it. They are probably derived from the soil and deposited by ground water. The kankar

usually contains a large amount of siliceous impurities.

A hard layer of lime kankar is seen covering the gneisses in a few small patches especially in the south-

eastern portions of the area near Maravarperungudi and Suddhamadam. The lime kankar is seen as a

capping about one foot thick and contains large amount visible siliceous inclusions. It is underlain by a

layer of loose, sandy soil, rich in calcareous material which again grades into the gneissic bed-rock.

The Kankar beds of around 1.0 to 1.50 meter thick (Average-1.25 m) is overlain by around 0.4 m thick of

nodular Kankar intermixed with clay and in turn by around 1.5 m thick block cotton soil. The lithological

succession is illustrated below:


The Kankar in this area is mostly gravelly type intermixed with more clay and overlain by 0.10 m to 0.40

m thick nodular Kankar. The Kankar occurrence is horizontally bedded and is grey to whitish in colour.

The deposit is almost flat filling over the old eroded surface and hence the lower contact will follow the

surface of the old eroded country rock.

2.6.2 Resources

The existence of mineralization in the area applied for Quarry Lease has been ascertained from the

nearby working mines of the applicant firm. Based on the volume of excavation and its weight, the Bulk

Density of both litho unit was measured. Bulk Density of 1.65 T/M3 and 2.20 T/M3 is considered for Black

cotton soil and Lime Kankar respectively.

It is estimated that 24,26,738 Tonnes of Lime Kankar and 18,53,145 Tonnes of Clay (Black Cotton Soil)

are mineable from the estimated In-situ Geological Reserves of 33,89,788 Tonnes Lime kankar and

25,88,565 (Black Cotton Soil). (Table 2.5).

Table : 2.5 Assessed Resources

Sl. No. Particulars Extent in Ha. Reserves, Tonnes

Lime Kankar Clay

1 In-situ Geological Reserves 123.26.5 33,89,788 25,88,565

2 Blocked up Reserves 35.02.0 9,63,050 7,35,420

3 Mineable Reserves 88.24.5 24,26,738 18,53,145

2.6.3 Quality

The chemical analysis of Lime Kankar and Clay are as under.

Material LOI% SiO2% Al2O3% Fe2O3% CaO% MgO% Na2O% K2O%

Lime Kankar 30.70 19.92 4.31 1.96 38.85 0.25 0.16 1.31

Clay 7.65 48.43 14.32 9.02 16.58 2.27 0.05 0.16

The cut of grade is a grade below which ore will not be economical. The cut of grade for lime kankar is

fixed as +35% CaO.


2.7 Mining



maximum depth of the Mine will be of 3.0 m only. The proposed maximum production from this Lease by

Strip Mining would be about Lime Kankar @ 0.50 Million Tonnes per Annum (MTPA) as Run-Off Mine (ROM)

basis and Clay (Black Cotton Soil) @ 0.025 MTPA.

In the total QL area of 123.26.5 Ha, about 88.24.5 Ha is only available for effective mining after leaving the

prescribed safety barriers of about 35.02.0 Ha. It is estimated that 24,26,738 Tonnes of Lime Kankar and

18,53,145 Tonnes of Clay (Black Cotton Soil) are mineable from this Quarry Lease with estimated In-situ

Geological Reserves of 33,89,788 Tonnes Lime Kankar and 25,88,565 (Black Cotton Soil).

The deposit will be mined by a simple system of simultaneous development, production and refilling by the

same excavator called strip mining. Simultaneous reclamation activities will be continued upto the end of

mine life. Thus, there will be no Top Soil/OB Dump as the entire Top Soil will be refilled in the mined out pit

simultaneously. Life of the Mine is 10 years only.

The entire area will be mined by dividing it into number of strips of about 8 m width and 25 m long,

corresponding to the yearly production quantity. Initially, a long trench like excavation for a sufficient

length on black cotton soil will be made to expose the Kankar and then the Kankar will be mined by the

same excavator. The next strip, just adjacent to the previous strip, will be mined in the similar manner but

the black cotton soil will be side-casted to the exhausted adjacent strip.

Thus, the refilling will be done simultaneously along with development and hence there will be no external

dumps. This is a simple system of simultaneous side casting of overburden black cotton soil and

excavation of the exposed Kankar by the same Excavator. (2 Nos. EX-200). Since the developmental top

soil will be side-casted on the Kankar exhausted adjacent strip, there will not be any hauling of

developmental reject and no external dump. In this method of mining, the Kankar exhausted area will be

refilled simultaneously along with production and development activity.

About 11,26,125 Tonnes of Top Soil will have to be removed as Overburden (OB) in the Plan Period to


Tonnes of OB/Clay (Black Cotton Soil) will be utilized in the First Plan Period for cement manufacturing

and balance OB will be refilled simultaneously in the Lease voids.







itself. RCL has its own black top road from existing Kankar Mines nearby to Pandalgudi Crusher. The

same road will be extended to this Lease for transport of the Minerals.


Schematic Diagram of proposed Mining Method

It is calculated that about 11,26,125 Tonnes of over burden soil will have to be remove as Overburden

(OB) in the Plan Period to win 15,01,500 Tonnes of Lime Kankar. The ratio of Ore to OB works out to be

1:0.75. About 1,25,000 Tonnes of OB will be utilized in the First Plan Period for cement manufacturing

and balance OB will be refilled simultaneously. As it is a shallow mining upto a depth of 3.0 m BGL and

simultaneous refilling is proposed, there will not be any water seepage or water harvesting in the Mine Pit.







itself.


Mine Profile :

Proved Lime Kankar Reserves : 2.427 Million Tonnes

Proposed Lime Kankar Production : 0.5 MTPA (max.) Ore:OB Ratio : 1: 0.75

Life of the Mine : 10 years

No. of working days/annum : 300 (2 shifts)

Pit Configuration : 20 m x 8 m strips

Bench Height : -

Bench Width : -

Bench Slope : -

Ultimate Pit Limit-Conceptual : 3 m (bgl);

Top RL 64-65 m & Bottom RL 61-62 m

Ground Water-table at : 20 m bgl (Postmonsoon) & 25 m (Premonsoon)

45 m RL (Post Monsoon)

40 m RL (Pre Monsoon)

Mining will not intersect the ground water-table.

The Mine Layout, Geological Plan with Sections, End of Fifth Year Plan and Conceptual Plan (from

Mining Plan) are given in the appended approved Mining Plan.

2.8 Proposal Benefits

This mine will employ about 30 persons directly and 30 persons indirectly. The direct and indirect

employment inherently has a positive impact on the Occupational Structure of the area. The proposal

ensures the continuous limestone supply to the Cement Plant. The Project will be beneficial and

important to the Society and the Country as highlighted :

v Royalty, NMET & other Taxes to the Exchequer.

v District Mineral Fund (DMF) @ 10% of Royalty (As per Amended TNMMCR,1959, QL granted after

12.01.2015 , DMF is @10% of the Seigniorage fee).

v Improved local and regional economy.

v Direct and indirect employments.

v Improvement in direct and indirect means of livelihoods of local population.

3.0 Project Description 3.1 Type of Project

The Lime Kankar and Clay to be mined out from this Quarry are Minor Minerals in an extent of 123.26.5Ha

(>100 Ha) in Cluster with Ramco QL-I and falls in Category A of Sl. No. 1(a) of EIA Notification 2006, as

amended for prior Environmental Clearance (EC) from MoEF&CC. Accordingly, Application/Form-1, Pre

Feasibility Report, Proposed Terms of Reference (TOR) for EIA Study, Approved Mining Plan and DSR

are submitted to the Ministry for the Environmental Clearance of the Project. A Common EIA & Public

Hearing may be permitted by the Authority for both Vadakkunatham Kankar Quarry Lease (QL-V) and

Maravarperungudi Kankar Quarry Lease (QL-I) with Cluster Situation.


3.2 Alternative Sites

Mineral deposits are site specific and therefore, the need to identifying alternative site does not arise.

3.3 Size/Magnitude of Operation

Vadakkunatham Lime Kankar Quarry Lease is a new Captive Mine over an extent of 123.26.5 Ha for the

proposed Maximim Production of Lime Kankar ROM @ 0.5 Million Tonnes per Annum and 0.025 Million

Tonnes Clay (Black Cotton Soil). Mine will be worked fully by Mechanized Opencast Non-Conventional

Method of Mining (Strip Mining). There will be no Drilling & Blasting. Also, there will be no Top Soil/OB

Dump as the entire Top Soil will be refilled in the mined out pit simultaneously. Life of the Mine is 10 years

only.

3.4 Yearwise Production

The estimated Mineable Lime Kankar reserves is 2.427 million Tonnes. It is proposed that about

11,26,125 Tonnes of over burden soil will have to be remove as Overburden (OB) in the Plan Period to


Tonnes of OB will be utilized in the First Plan Period for cement manufacturing and balance OB will be

refilled simultaneously. Table 3.1 shows the production and development Quantity for the plan period.

Table : 3.1 Proposed Development & Production

Year Development

(Top Soil Removal), Tonnes

Lime Kankar ROM, Tonnes

Clay Consumption

from Development,

Tonnes

Balance Developmental

Rejects, Tonnes

Ore: Waste Ratio

I 1,87,688 2,50,250 25,000 2,25,250 1:0.75

II 1,87,688 2,50,250 25,000 2,25,250 1:0.75

III 1,87,688 2,50,250 25,000 2,25,250 1:0.75

IV 3,75,375 5,00,500 25,000 4,75,500 1:0.75

V 1,87,688 2,50,250 25,000 2,25,250 1:0.75

Total 11,26,125 15,01,500 1,25,000 13,76,500 1:0.75

The total reserves including the Proved mineral reserve : 2.427 Mil.T

Proposed production for the first 5 years : 1.502 Mil.T.

Balance Reserve available after 5th year : 0.925 Mil.T

Proposed annual production from the 6th year to 10th year: 0.185 Mil.T

Hence the total life of mine : 10 years

The proposed mining will be in two shifts and will be fully mechanized. The estimated Lime Kankar

reserve is 2.427 million Tonnes and the same will be last for about 10 years.


The mine deploys the machineries as given in Table 3.2.


Table : 3.2 Mine Machineries

Sl. No. Name of the Machine Nos. Capacity

1 TATA Hitachi EX 200 2 1.8 M³

2 ZL 50 G Wheel Loader 1 3.2 M³

3 Taurus tippers 7 20 tonnes

4 Water Tanker 1 10 KL

3.5 Solid Wastes

The average depth of over burden black cotton soil is 1.25 meters. It is proposed that about 11,26,125

Tonnes of over burden soil will have to be remove as Overburden (OB) in the Plan Period to win

15,01,500 Tonnes of Lime Kankar. The ratio of Ore to OB works out to be 1:0.75.

About 1,25,000 Tonnes of OB will be utilized in the First Plan Period for cement manufacturing and

balance OB will be refilled simultaneously.

3.6 Proposed Land Use

The entire deposit will be exhausted in 10 years. The total area of the Lease is 123.26.5 Ha. Out of which

the effective area available for mining will be 88.24.5 Ha. At Conceptual Stage, out of 123.26.5 Ha about

56.24.5 Ha will be the quarried area and will be backfilled fully. About 45.00.0 Ha will be under Green

Belt, 1.50.0 Ha under Roads and 0.50.0 Ha under Infrastructures. The total Green Belt Area will be about

45.00.0 Ha with 36.50% coverage (Table 3.3).

Table : 3.3 Land Use Pattern

Activities Existing

Land Use, Ha

At the End of Plan Period, Ha

At Conceptual Stage, Ha

Area of excavation - 40.600

Mine Area : 0.500 Backfilled : 40.100 56.245

Mine Area : - Backfilled : 56.245

Storage of Top Soil - - - Overburden/dump - - - Mineral Rejects Dump - - - Infrastructure(Workshop/Building) - 0.500 0.500 Roads - 1.495 1.500 Green belt / Afforestation - 12.000 30.000 Others (Safety Barrier; partly afforested) - 35.020 35.020

Unused 123.26.5 33.65 -

Total 123.26.5 123.26.5 123.26.5

When the mine is permanently closed after exhausting entire mineable Kankar, the road will be used for

maintaining the green belt developed. The Mine will not have permanent installations of machine, but

only mobile mining equipments. All the machinery including screening plant will be disposed-off or shifted

to other operating mines on need based.


3.7 Water Demand & Source

As it is a shallow mining upto a depth of 3.0 m BGL and simultaneous refilling is proposed, there will not

be any water seepage or water harvesting in the Mine Pit. The mine requires about 3 cu.m/day drinking

water for domestic consumption which will be supplied from the RO Plant at Pandalgudi Mine. Domestic

sewage generation will be about 2.5 cu.m/day which will be biologically treated in a Septic Tank followed

by a Dispersion Trench. No workshop is proposed and thus, no effluent generation from the Mine.

The Mine will also require about 2 cu.m/day for Dust suppression Haulage Road within the Lease Area

and another 25 cu.m/day during rainy season and 50 cu.m/day during other seasons for the development

and maintenance of Green Belt. The required water will be sourced from existing Captive Mine Pits in

Pandalgudi Region.

The Water Balance Diagram is appended.

Water Balance Diagram

Nearby existing Mine Pit Water (52 cu.m/day; max.)

RO Plant Water (Pandalgudi)

(3 cu.m/day)

Dust Suppression Green Belt Domestic Use

(2 cu.m/day) (25-50 cu.m/day) Domestic Sewage

(2.5 cu.m/day)

Septic Tank-

Dispersion Trench

3.8 Mine Drainage

Fractured crystalline rocks constitute the important aquifer systems in the study area. The type of aquifer

is phreatic or water table unconfined aquifer. These aquifers are highly heterogeneous in nature due to

variation in lithology, texture and structural features even within short distances. Ground water generally

occurs under phreatic / water table conditions in the weathered mantle and under unconfined to semi-

confined conditions in the fissured and fractured zones at deeper levels. Since the mine is shallow in

nature and the mining will not intersect water table. As it is a shallow mining upto a depth of 3.0 m BGL

and simultaneous refilling is proposed, there will not be any water seepage or water harvesting in the Mine

Pit. Since, the mined out area will be refilled immediately after the exhaustion of Kankar, there will not be

any opened out pit and no possibility of accumulation of rain water inside the pit.

3.9 Power Demand & Source

100 KVA industrial supply for lighting is required which will be met from TANGEDCO Grid. HSD @ 1000

lits./day for mining equipments. There will be no standby DG set.


4.0 Site Setting & Analysis 4.1 Connectivity

The Mine area and their villages are well-connected by roads of various hierarchies. The National

Highway NH-38 (earlier NH45B) runs @ 12.4 km in west direction of the QL applied area. SH-38

connecting Aruppukottai-Sayalgudi runs at 4.8 km in east. Several State Highways and District Roads

are well connected to Aruppukottai Town.

As stated earlier, these Mines and also Pandalgudi Crusher with RR Nagar Cement Plant are connected

with RCL’s own Tar road. This Mine will also utilise the extended own Haul Road to the Pit. Mines to

Crusher road is of 14 km each from Melvenkateswarapuram Mine and Maravarperungudi Mine. There is

a Road-over-Bridge on the NH-38 for the dedicated Mine Road. All the village road intersections are

manned by the RCL’s Security. The existing Mines use 20 Tons Tipper for the transportation of the

Minerals from the Pits to the Crusher.

4.2 Land Form

By analysing the available land use maps (2000 and 2014), it could be stated that there is no

considerable changes in land use classes except agricultural use, current fallow, mining activities, open

scrub and dense scrub. There is no much variation in settlement development since the area is backward

and agriculture is the main activity apart from the mining activity. As for as agriculture is concerned the

people are very much involved in domesticating animals like cow, buffalo, goat, sheep, etc. and raising

primary crops. The cropping like ragi, maize, jowar, bajra (cumbu), chillies, coriander and other major salt

tolerant crops especially suits for black cotton soil since the area has more clayey soils in and around the

mining areas.

Land Use Class Year 2000 Year 2014

Area in sq.km Area in % Area in sq.km Area in %

Agriculture 229.0 24.2 246.3 26.1

Current fallow 492.8 52.2 475.3 50.3

Dense Scrub 13.7 1.4 13.7 1.4

Mining 3.6 0.4 3.1 0.3

Open Scrub 136.2 14.4 137.1 14.5

River 8.8 0.9 8.8 0.9

Settlement 15.0 1.6 15.0 1.6

Westland 9.1 1.0 9.1 1.0

Water body 36.4 3.9 36.4 3.9

Total 944.8 100.0 944.8 100.0

4.3 Existing Infrastructure

Industries in the Region : RCL Captive Mines are the main Industry in the region. The India Cements Ltd.

(ICL) is operating its Captive Mines at Maravarperungudi in Virudhunagar District and Maniakaranpatti in

Thoothukudi District. Other than the Captive Limestone Mines, there are no major industries in the

Region. Sree Parameswari Spinning Mills is located at Pandalgudi.


4.4 Soil Classification

Soils in the District have been classified into i) Deep red Loam ii) Black soil iii) Red sandy soil. The

majority of the study area is covered by Black soil. Ferruginous red soils are also seen at places. Black

soils are deep to very deep and generally occurs in the depressions adjacent to hilly areas, in the

western and central part of district. Alluvial soils occur along the river courses. Red sandy soil is seen all

around the Sattur, Kariyapatti, Aruppukotai and Thiruchuli blocks.

4.5 Climatic Data from Secondary Source

Sub-tropical climate prevails over the study area. The temperature is maximum during March to May and

it drops from June onwards. The maximum temperature ranges from 40 °C to 44 °C and minimum

temperature from 22 °C to 27 °C. The nearest IMD station is Madurai Airport (55 km in north). The

nearest Rainfall gauge station is located at Aruppukottai which is in the North from this Lease. The Fifty

years of Normal Rainfall recorded is 769 mm out of which, normal NE Monsoon Rainfall is 392.0 mm

(Oct-Dec) Normal SW Monsoon Rainfall is 184.0 mm (Jun-Sep) Transit period rainfall from Jan to May is

193.0 m.

4.6 Social Infrastructure Available

These Captive Mines & Leases are located in Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi Districts of Tamil Nadu.

The major urban centre in the vicinity of the study area is Aruppukotta,. A few settlements located in an

around the mines are Pandalgudi, Pudur, Kallurani, Reddyarpatti and Nagalapuram.

5.0 Planning Brief 5.1 Planning Concept & Amenities/Facilities

The entire deposit will be exhausted in 10 years. The total area of the Lease is 123.26.5 Ha. Out of which

the effective area available for mining will be 88.24.5 Ha. At Conceptual Stage, out of 123.26.5 Ha about

56.24.5 Ha will be the quarried area and will be backfilled fully. About 45.00.0 Ha will be under Green

Belt, 1.50.0 Ha under Roads and 0.50.0 Ha under Infrastructures. The total Green Belt Area will be about

45.00.0 Ha with 36.50% coverage.

6.0 Proposed Infrastructure 6.1 Industrial Area

The total area of 123.26.5 Ha will be under Mining. Existing RCL owned Mine Haulage Road will be used

for the haulage of Minerals.

6.2 Residential Area

There are 2 colonies for the Mine Employees and Workers along with a Middle School and a Community

Hall located at Pandalgudi. No separate Township is required for this Mine.


6.3 Green Belt Predominantly, local species viz. Neem, Eucalyptus, Naval, Tamarind, Teak, Aval Vagai, Mango,

Guava, Kodikai, Nettilingam, Coconut, Pungai, Mangium, Casurina, Arasan, Murungai, Banana, Seetha,

Vanni, Yellow Arali, etc. are planted and maintained in the existing Mines nearby with a Survival Rate of

70-80%. Out of the total area of Quarry Lease (123.26.5 Ha.), Green Belt and Afforested Area will be

about 45 Ha with 36.50 % coverage at Conceptual Stage.

Schedule-I Species Indian Pea Fowl (Pavo cristatus) is commonly found in the region. The birds are

observed to be socially moving in these areas along with the human population. The Conservation Plan

for Indian Pea Fowl has been prepared in consultation with the Forest Ranger, Villathikulam Range,

approved by District Forest Officer- Thoothukudi District and already submitted to the Ministry.

6.4 Social Infrastructure

These existing and proposed Mines in Pandalgudi Region provide Direct Employment to about 222

Persons and Indirect Employment to about 656 Persons. Out of 878 total Employees in these Mines, more

than 80% are from local villages. This mine will employ about 30 persons directly and 50 persons indirectly.

RCL is carrying out in number of social activities in and around the villages of its Mines and Factory

under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Budget. RCL has the CSR Committee as per the

provisions notified by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on February 27, 2014. Based on the CSR

Committee and declared CSR Policy of the Company, the following CSR activities will be covered and

Reported (& also displayed in the Company website) :

v Eradicating extreme hunger and poverty.

v Promotion of education & vocational skills.

v Ensuring environmental sustainability.

v Contribution to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund or any other fund set up by the Central

Government or the State Governments for socioeconomic development and relief.

The basic amenities are being developed in coordination with the District Administration. RCL has spent

an amount of Rs.4.34 crores during 2011-15 for the CSR activities (Table 6.1).

Table : 6.1 CSR Amount Spent by RCL in the Region

Year Amount Spent, Rs.

Plant Mines RSSL Total

2011-12 12,93,111 1,44,000 4,24,474 24,93,485

2012-13 49,06,242 13,25,435 6,57,453 150,79,359

2013-14 34,69,180 47,89,078 11,11,811 119,52,325

2014-15 40,62,474 12,36,400 15,61,929 138,70,795

Total 137,31,007 74,94,913 37,55,667 433,95,964

About 1000 locals are being benefitted every year due to the Medical Camps conducted by RCL (Table

6.2). These camps were conducted in different villages on a rotational basis.


Table : 6.2 Medical Camps Conducted by RCL during 2013-14

Date Village Public Attended

Type of Camp

10.01.2013 Chennampatti 162 General

06.03.2013 Maravarperungudi 252 General

28.04.2013 Kambathupatti 114 General

29.06.2013 Muthusamypuram 101 General

13.07.2013 Pandalgudi 140 Eye Camp & General Camp

28.09.2013 Suddhamadam 105 Eye Camp

28.12.2013 Kasilingapuram 112 General

Total Beneficiaries 986 -

Table : 6.2 (Contn.) Medical Camps Conducted by RCL during 2014-15

Date Place Category No. of Participants

Remarks

07.06.2014 North Muthaiyapuram General Medical Camp 125 -

19.07.2014 Puthur Eye Camp 210

Cataract-32 Squint-2 Refraction-19 Infection-6

09.08.2014 Koppusithampatti General Medical Camp 131

Diabetic-14 Ht-19 Apenticitis-1 Ch.Ulcer Stomach-2 Cataract-16

30.09.2014 Periya Thummakundu General Medical Camp 142

Cataract-18 Refractive-6 Ht-11 Diabetic-3 Ca-1

12.10.2014 Ramco Nagar Mhc-Thyrocare 25 Blood Samples Taken-Report Given

14.02.2015 Ramco Nagar Denque Awareness 180 Free “Nila Vembu Kasayam “ -50 Ml/Each Given

20.02.2014 Ramco Nagar Polio Camp 17 Free Ambulance Given To Phc For Public Use*2 Days

Total Beneficiaries 830 -


Date Place Category No. of

Participants Remarks

28.04.2015 Andipatti General Medical Camp 75 Cataract-16 Refractive-4

27.05.2015 Mela Arunachalapuram General Medical Camp 96

Ht-21 Diabetic-13 Cataract -5 Infection -1

20.06.2015 Sivalarpatti General Medical Camp 125

Diabetic-17 Ht-13 Cataract-6 Chronic Vertigo-1

25.07.2015 Kulakattankurichi General Medical Camp 111

Diabetic-14 Ht-10 Squint-1 Hearing Loss-1



Remarks


22.08.2015 M.V.Puram General Medical Camp 95 Diabetic-10 Ht-9 Cataract-6

15.09.2015 Sennampatti General Medical Camp 110

Ht-13 Diabetic-8 Dental Caris-3 Tonsilitis-3 Cataract-6 Skinallergy-2

22.11.2015 Puthur Eye Camp 60 Cataract-23 Refraction-18 Fundus-1

17.01.2016& 21.02.2016 Ramconagar Polio Camp 44

Free Ambulance Given To Phc For Public Use*2 Days

29.03.2016 Muthupatti General Medical Camp 82

Diabetic-18 Ht-17 Refraction-12 Appenticitis-1

Total Beneficiaries 808


Date Place Category No. of Participants Remarks

04.05.2016 Maniakkaranpatti General Medical Camp 113

Diabetic-12, Ht-10 Cataract -4 Infection Eye-1 Fracture Lt.Hand-1

20.05.2016 Thavasilingapuram General Medical Camp 135 Diabetic-11,Ht-14, Cataract-5

27.05.2016 Mela Sakkanapuram General Medical Camp 103 Diabetic-9, Ht-13. Cataract-4 Clubbed Lips-1

22.06.2016 Mettil Patti General Medical Camp 156

Diabetic-17, Ht-15. Cataract-6 Cellulitis-1 Septic Wound-1

24.06.2016 Sennamareddipatti General Medical Camp 152

Poor Vision-8 Ht-17, Piles-2 Diabetic-12 Skinallergy-1

31.07.2016 Pandalgudi Eye Camp 122

Cataract-18 Refraction-6 Dm-8, Ht-12 Hearing Loss-1


01.09.2016 Velayuthapuram General Medical Camp 119

Diabetic-9, Ht-16 Tonsilitis-2 Skin Infection-1 Eye Defect-10

09.09.2016 Udaiyanathapuram General Medical Camp 116 Allergy-23 Lri&Cough-48 Fever-3,Skin-4

19.01.2017 Ramco Nagar T.B.Awareness 51 Conducted By G.H- Viruthunagar

03.02.2017 Vidya Mandir-Ramco Nagar Dental Camp 527

Free Dental Medicines Given

09.02.2017 Vidya Mandir-Ramco Nagar

Vision Chech-Up Camp 609 Poor Vision-18



Remarks

18.02.2017 Ramco Nagar Siddha Camp 210

Knee Pain-29 Diabetic-12 Skin-10 Ulcer Stomach-10

Total Beneficiaries 2,431

6.5 Occupational Health

RCL is operating an Occupational Health Centre at the Factory and Mines for supporting the health care

needs of employees & their families as well as local Public on emergency. Periodic Health tests

(Pulmonary test, Audiometric test, blood test, chest x-ray examination etc.) have been conducted every

year for the employees. Supported by test observations, adequate and need based treatment has been

offered to employees. No incidence of occupational related diseases observed during the observation of

staff so far.

7.0 Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) Plan

The Project does not involve any R&R and thus, no R&R Plan is envisaged.

8.0 Project Schedule

Based on the proposed rate of production, the reserve will last for 10 years.

8.2 Project Cost

The capital cost of the Project is Rs.4.20 crores. An amount of Rs.7.00 Lakhs has been earmarked as

Capital EMP Budget and Rs.5.00 Lakhs per Annum is the Operating Cost towards EMP measures, Green

Belt maintenance, Environmental Monitoring, etc. Also, an amount of Rs.3.00 Lakhs per Annum has

been earmarked for Occupational Health & Safety Measures.

A budget of 1% of the Project Cost will be allotted as CER Budget. In addition, for the mandatory District

Mineral Federation (DMF) @ 10% of Royalty Amount will also be contributed.

9.0 Analysis of Proposal 9.1 Financial & Social Benefits

This is a new Captive Mine for RR Nagar Cement Plant and thus does not require financial viability

analysis assessment.

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vadakkunatham lime kankar quarry lease · raja nagar (rr nagar) in virudhunagar district of tamil...

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