Activists welcome move to close quarries operating in violation of rules, demand stricter action

Kallanai successful Kalligudi taluk is simply a quiescent colony situated connected the Madurai and Virudhunagar border. The superior concern is agriculture. However, the farmers of the country person been suffering owed to deficiency of capable h2o for agriculture and drinking purposes.

The farmers said Gundaru and Thekkaru, the waterspread area, are the main h2o source. However, for implicit 10 years, the h2o root had dried up completely. The waterbody is afloat of chaotic growth. The groundwater has besides depleted. They blasted chromatic quarrying operations successful the portion for the drying up of the main h2o source.

In February 2026, villagers from Kallanai, Achangulam, Thumbakulam Pudur, Nedungulam and Ulagani successful Kalligudi taluk staged a protestation astatine Madurai Collectorate demanding closure of the chromatic quarries operating successful the area.

They said chromatic quarry operations had encroached upon authorities land, waterbodies and adjacent Panchami lands. Unauthorised chromatic quarrying operations had caused gross nonaccomplishment to the government. Even astatine the farmers grievance redress gathering the contented was raised. They person besides raised complaints against indiscriminate soil quarrying taking spot successful the district.

In May, the authorities temporarily closed astatine slightest 11 chromatic quarries crossed Madurai territory that were recovered to beryllium operating successful usurpation of the rules and guidelines. These included the quarries operating successful Kallanai and Kalligudi taluk.

An enquiry has been ordered. The authorities person been issued instructions to behaviour an appraisal to ascertain the fig of quarries operating, closed quarries and with respect to the grade of the usurpation of the rules.

R. Marichami, a resident, welcomed the move. He said quarrying operations successful the country had destroyed agriculture and waterbodies. He said anterior to the quarrying operations, the residents should person been consulted.

However, nary of this was done. Only overmuch later, erstwhile the h2o level successful the waterspread country started reducing did the radical realise and reason the quarrying operations, helium said.

He urges the authorities to permanently adjacent the quarries, behaviour an enquiry into usurpation of rules, ascertain whether determination was corrupt practices and instrumentality indispensable action. He besides demanded the restoration of the waterbodies successful the area.

Environmental activistic Kambur Selvaraj of Melur, who spearheaded akin protests successful Melur and adjacent places against quarrying operations, said portion impermanent closure was welcome, the authorities should behaviour a due appraisal to the grade of violation.

He said successful respective villages successful Melur taluk, chromatic quarrying operations had led to contamination of waterbodies. Explosives were utilized to blast the rocks and this posed a menace to the people. Heavy vehicles were utilized to transport the minerals beyond permissible limits.

The residents were facing wellness issues, helium said, adding that nary leniency should beryllium shown to those who interruption rules and harm the environment. The licence should beryllium cancelled and transgression proceedings should beryllium initiated against those who violated the rules, helium said, adding that the situation should beryllium preserved for the aboriginal generations.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has been proceeding a fig of nationalist involvement litigation petitions seeking a absorption to the authorities to instrumentality indispensable enactment and forestall amerciable chromatic and soil quarrying activities.

The tribunal directed the District Collectors of Southern and Central districts, coming nether the jurisdiction of Madurai Bench, to instrumentality contiguous steps to obstruction abandoned quarries successful bid to forestall nonaccomplishment of quality and carnal lives.

The tribunal issued the absorption portion proceeding the nationalist involvement litigation petition filed by the Centre for Promotion of Social Concerns Executive Trustee R. Sathiamoorthy of Madurai.

Mr. Sathiamoorthy had sought a absorption to the authorities to found Green Funds arsenic per Section 35 A of Tamil Nadu Mines and Mineral Concession Rules, represent Reclamation, Restoration and Rehabilitation Committee successful each territory and guarantee District Committees execute their functions nether Section 35E and 35F of the Rules.

He complained that aft quarrying operations and licence play were over, the quarries were near abandoned without immoderate activity. Several quarries were near unfilled and h2o had stagnated successful them. The quarries were not fenced and led to an alarming emergence successful the fig of accidents taking spot successful abandoned mines and quarries.

Despite the recurrence of specified accidents, nary preventive enactment was taken by the authorities. It was the work of the State to support its citizens. The authorities should instrumentality steps towards amended utilisation of these sites and sphere the situation and the ecology, helium said.

He said helium would beryllium sending notices to the authorities acrophobic reminding them astir the tribunal direction.

People’s Watch Executive Director Henri Tiphagne said portion closure of the quarries were important, arsenic important was to obstruction them. The authorities acrophobic should instrumentality each indispensable steps to obstruction the abandoned quarries astatine the earliest, helium said.

Last twelvemonth successful Sivaganga district, Devakottai Sub-Collector had imposed a good of ₹91 crore against the amerciable chromatic quarry operations successful Singampunari. Six workers had mislaid their lives. In Dindigul district, the farmers person repeatedly raised complaints against the indiscriminate soil quarrying successful h2o bodies.

Recently, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the Director of Department of Geology and Mining to implicit the pending enquiry successful the lawsuit pertaining to amerciable soil mining successful Tirunelveli territory by a nonmigratory of Kerala. It besides directed the CB-CID to guarantee the decision of the proceedings successful the lawsuit astatine the earliest.

The last study successful the lawsuit revealed that Manuvel George, a nonmigratory of Kerala had obtained M-sand banal gait licence and transport licence with the assistance of officials from the Department of Geology and Mining.

It is said the archetypal accused had dug up bogus workplace ponds astatine the assorted survey numbers successful South Kallidaikurichi without obtaining support from the authorities. He besides excavated unauthorised pits connected different survey numbers.

Thereafter, the soil was illegally transported to Kerala utilizing M-sand permits with the connivance of different accused and officials.

A idiosyncratic from Kerala had taken soil illegally from the banks of Thamirabarani stream and had illegally transported it successful the sanction of M-sand to Kerala. The accused committed offence with the connivance of the officials, the tribunal said.

With the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) coming to power, with a committedness to springiness a alteration for better, the activists and the wide nationalist are keen to witnesser a transformation.