Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan accuses Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of permitting a Kochi-based mining firm to quarry mineral-rich sand at throwaway prices, causing a loss of ₹40,000 crore to the public exchequer. The company, Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited, had approached the CM seeking a permit to mine the mineral ilmenite. Kuzhalnadan alleges that the CM, invoking his powers under the State Disaster Management Act, granted permission to the company under the pretext of dredging and deepening the canal. He further accuses the CM of diluting the Kerala Land Reforms Act to grant 55 acres of land to a CMRL subsidiary in Alappuzha district.