The research we are planning to do will be done in the region around Manavalakurichi in Kanyakumari District of Tamilnadu, India, where Indian Rare Earth, a public sector company is mining sand for illuminate and other rare minerals since 1993. Twelve villages around it are suffering adverse impact, thus affecting a population of about 100,000 people, especially the women of these villages. They had arguments with the management and have tried to resist sand mining, which resulted in clash. This research will help them collect data from the six most close by villages with a total population of about 40,000 that would prove adverse impact due to sand mining. The team consist of a research coordinator from the region who knows the area and is capable of holding PRA meeting and capable of holding household level interviews and a support adviser from GUIDE who has research experience from 1979, besides having technical support from a Professional Researcher who hails from that region and is now working as Professor elsewhere.

The team expects to have three local youth who would work under the coordinator and do the collection of data. This will be done by PRA exercise for collecting general information (and case studies) and household interviews to produce exact figures through SPSS tabulation. We hope to complete the project in 10 months. The result will be published as printed book in English and in Tamil, for the use of the local communities to argue their case and for filing public interest litigation against the mal practices of the company that affects the people. [Sep. 2012]