Granite quarrying ‘kicking up dust’

V. Nataraj, a autochthonal of Kuppam mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district, is up aboriginal owed to the changeless buzz of an alarm. He peeps extracurricular the model to corroborate if it is inactive dark. The 27-year-old, who works arsenic an electrician astatine a steadfast successful Bengaluru, hurriedly gets acceptable and reaches the Chittoor-Bengaluru National Highway to committee the archetypal autobus astatine 5 a.m. to Bengaluru, which is astatine slightest 120 kms from his village.

There has been a changeless whirring and low-to-high metallic thudding dependable since Nataraj woke up until the infinitesimal helium boarded the bus.

The streets of the agrarian areas successful Bangarupalem, Palamaner and Kuppam mandals, located astatine the tri-State junction of Chittoor district, overgarment a akin picture, with the granite mining astatine the centre of the ordeal that residents of the villages person been facing.

Year-round mining activities

The non-stop, year-round mining enactment ravages mineral wealthiness that was undisturbed for centuries. In the aboriginal hours, sparks flash and vanish arsenic mechanical drills statesman cutting into rock. Dust rises slowly, settling similar a bladed veil implicit everything. Workers determination on the edges of heavy pits and ridges, portion their shouts are drowned retired by the changeless hum of compressors. A immense crane groans arsenic it lifts a monolithic artifact of achromatic granite from the earth. Within minutes, the rugged boulder is lowered onto a motortruck waiting below.

By noon, the motortruck volition beryllium connected the highway. In a time oregon two, the load could scope Chennai oregon Krishnapatnam Port. Weeks later, it whitethorn get astatine a sprawling processing gait successful China. By the clip it reappears successful the planetary market, it volition person been polished and refined into portion of a gathering oregon monument. Its origins go astir invisible.

So goes the travel of Chittoor granite.

It is besides the saga of a portion wherever chromatic has dilatory travel to dictate the presumption of life. Till 5 decades ago, beingness successful Chittoor territory followed a antithetic rhythm. Agriculture remained its backbone, and the seasons determined its pace. Though stones existed successful abundance, they were mostly utilized for tools, homes, and temples. Even during the British Raj, erstwhile mining expanded successful different parts of the country, this portion remained mostly untouched.

A paradigm displacement dawned successful Chittoor successful the 1980s, when the request for polished granite grew successful planetary markets. Chittoor’s mineral wealthiness and geological diverseness became the cynosure of the industry. Beneath its parched fields laic high-quality chromatic successful shades of heavy black, muted grey, green, white, galaxy, and richly patterned varieties that appealed to planetary traders. Small-scale clandestine quarrying aft dusk gradually transformed into an unfastened and thriving web of extraction, transport, and export.

Mandals successful the erstwhile Chittoor district, including Kuppam, Shantipuram, Palamaner, Bangarupalem, Yadamarri, Gudipala, Gangadhara Nellore, Chittoor, Nagari, Vijayapuram, Piler, Punganur, and Madanapalle, witnessed hectic enactment with the accomplishment of dense machinery.

Farmlands soon turned into quarry pits, and dense vehicles began plying agrarian roads. The nondescript countryside of Chittoor, erstwhile connected the margins, gradually recovered its mode into planetary markets.

Today, the granite loop successful the portion runs along a hazy enactment betwixt regularisation and evasion. While a fewer licensed quarries run wrong defined limits and nutrient export-grade stone, a mates of 100 quarries, reportedly illegal, run from Kuppam to Nagari with round-the-clock extraction and proscription activities. At the aforesaid time, repeated enforcement drives by the Mines and Geology Department conflict to found violations, portion astir cases spell under-reported.

‘Tight vigil connected amerciable mining’

Deputy Director (Mines and Geology) S.K.V. Satyanarayana admits that contempt maintaining a hawk oculus connected amerciable mining activities, perpetrators proceed clandestine operations successful immoderate parts of the region. “During our raids, we prehend vehicles, machinery, granite blocks, and tools utilized successful excavation works. Ironically, by the clip we reach, nary 1 is contiguous astatine the sites. Thanks to changeless surveillance, we person managed to render galore specified units inoperative,” helium said.

The authoritative added that since the Mines and Geology Department lacks the powerfulness to apprehension offenders, it indispensable beryllium connected the constabulary to transportation retired specified tasks. Across the immense terrain on the borders of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, determination are hardly 2 oregon 3 officials, including the Deputy Director and his driver, to show an country that cuts done hills, valleys, and forests.

Cases are booked nether the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, starring to the seizure of granite blocks, machinery, and vehicles, with penalties moving into respective lakhs of rupees. Though the strategy appears stringent connected paper, successful practice, it draws nationalist disapproval for being acold much flexible.

Lapses successful mining practices

In the granite heartland of Kuppam, concerns implicit amerciable quarrying person repeatedly travel nether the scrutiny of the National Green Tribunal, which has flagged superior lapses successful mining practices. The contented besides attracted governmental attraction erstwhile TDP main N. Chandrababu Naidu personally inspected quarries successful and astir Kuppam successful caller years, some arsenic Opposition Leader and present arsenic Chief Minister. He expressed interest implicit unchecked mining, pointing to biology harm and gross loss, portion calling for stricter oversight. In caller weeks, Kuppam Police registered cases aft seizing a mates of quarries and machinery.

Granite blocks perpetually determination retired of the territory towards Chennai and Krishnapatnam ports. With the emergence successful amerciable mining, respective members of the syndicate similar shifting blocks to Chennai, wherever polishing and sizing are completed earlier export. Some importers successful countries specified arsenic China readily judge earthy blocks, arsenic they person precocious polishing facilities. “Each consignment should transportation due documentation, including transit permits, invoices, and weighbridge slips. But successful a bulk of cases, these records are duplicated, altered, oregon manipulated,” a constabulary serviceman successful Chittoor territory said.

A transporter adjacent Palamaner, who claims to person spent “30 years successful the industry”, was candid: “If your papers are weak, you pay. If your backing is strong, you move. This is nary drama; it’s however things work.”

Chittoor Collector Sumit Kumar, responding to the concerns, said amerciable mining is not absent. “Within a abbreviated span, the granite manufacture has expanded rapidly. Chittoor is location to immoderate of the finest granite varieties. Despite unit shortages, inspections are continuing. Our precedence is to support authorities revenue. An enactment program volition beryllium prepared to streamline the system,” helium said.

Ramanujam Chalapathi, a elder Telugu Desam Party person successful Nagari Assembly constituency, fumes that quarrying activities airs a sedate menace to the lives and wellness of implicit 400 families surviving connected the outskirts of Nagari municipality crossed fractional a twelve localities. “Whenever a blast is triggered successful the chromatic quarry astatine Kanavapalle village, the deafening dependable reverberates crossed six hamlets. The livelihood of radical successful this country is astatine precocious risk. Most residents kick of superior respiratory problems caused by quarry dust. Medical tests should beryllium conducted connected each of them. They entreaty to officials to code their plight, but nary 1 responds. It has been continuing for years,” helium said.

‘Ravaged by excavation works’

The Nagari Nose, the highest of the Nagari Hills nestled betwixt Tirupati and Tiruttani successful Tamil Nadu, is wide acclaimed by quality lovers arsenic a geological wonder. “Now the foothills are being ravaged by excavation works. The Puttur-Chennai National Highway, which erstwhile offered a beauteous roadside landscape, is present denuded by blasting activities. The biology demolition is glaring and an unfastened secret, yet nary 1 stops it,” said Kodandam, a B.Tech pupil from Puttur.

Villagers successful the granite loop of G.D. Nellore and Yadamarri mandals voiced akin concerns, peculiarly implicit changeless particulate settling connected crops and expanding respiratory ailments. Quarries operating round-the-clock make clouds of good dust.

“As per authorities rules, the exertion interest collected for quarry leases should spell to section panchayats for developmental activities. In reality, nary panchayat successful our Assembly constituency has received funds done this way successful caller years. There is nary quality betwixt amerciable and ineligible mining. It is simply a immense business. No 1 is adjacent allowed adjacent the boundaries of quarry sites,” said Girisha, a techie from Yadamarri mandal.

No designation for labourers

At the centre of each this is simply a workforce that seldom gets noticed. Quarry sites crossed Chittoor trust heavy connected migrant labour from the north-western districts of Tamil Nadu. They get successful groups, bringing with them the “rich and extraordinary” expertise needed to chopped and grip granite.

“There is perfectly nary shortage of labour. At immoderate constituent successful the year, astir 3,000 workers are employed crossed Chittoor. A idiosyncratic entering a quarry volition not instrumentality location with little than ₹3,000 a time if helium works from dawn to dusk. Work is disposable circular the clock. Whether ineligible oregon illegal, we are not bothered. Even if 1 quarry shuts down, we determination to another. Compared to erstwhile years, information measures person improved, though accidents inactive hap and galore spell unrecorded. Compensation is assured successful lawsuit of casualties,” said Vel Muruga, a elder mason from Vellore.

Altaf Kouser, 47, of Chittoor, who has 25 years of acquisition successful granite mining, said the contiguous strategy of straight submitting applications for mining leases is simply a invited change. “This process moves distant from tendering, which benefits lone the affluent and corporates. The application-based attack makes introduction into the mining assemblage affordable adjacent for middle-class families. Though the assemblage is highly risky, it besides offers important profits. If you put ₹5 crore successful a year, it could go ₹15 crore,” she said.

Khan Bhai, 65, of Chittoor, a erstwhile mining lessee, summed up the improvement of mining successful Rayalaseema: “In the 1980s, the exertion interest was ₹150 per hectare of granite field; present it is ₹1.8 lakh. Those whom I erstwhile saw arsenic workers are present self-styled dons, wearing golden and diamond rings connected 8 fingers, sporting hefty golden chains, travelling successful costly SUVs, investing heavy successful existent estate, and often flying abroad. Some are straight progressive successful politics, portion their children are aspiring politicians.”

Losses to the govt.

On losses to the authorities owed to amerciable mining, a erstwhile gross authoritative observed: “Even a tiny discrepancy per motortruck becomes tremendous erstwhile multiplied by hundreds of trips a day. You are looking astatine crores slipping away.”

A constabulary serviceman successful Chittoor, speaking connected information of anonymity, admitted that the cognition of debased hazard besides encourages amerciable operations. “Those booked successful amerciable mining cases are seldom arrested. Even if arrested, they unafraid bail quickly. Legal proceedings agelong for years. Penalties, which are insignificant compared to the wealthiness amassed, are often realised overmuch later. This hold drastically reduces the interaction of enforcement.”

Another serviceman remarked, “You cognize wherefore China is the largest importer of granite from this region. The authorities determination acts against amerciable mining with the velocity of a bullet. Clandestine operations are unopen down immediately, assets are seized, and offenders are blacklisted. The blameworthy tin look jailhouse presumption of up to 7 years and yet go paupers successful society.”

Chittoor’s proximity to Tamil Nadu is an added vantage for the industry. Granite businesses connected some sides stay intimately linked, sharing labour, transport routes, and markets. Trucks transverse State borders with ease.

umashanker.kk@thehindu.co.in