Residents demand closure of stone quarry; AIADMK MLA leads them

Demanding the closure of a chromatic quarry for which support was fixed recently, the residents of Thirumal adjacent Thirumangalam successful Madurai territory staged a protestation successful beforehand of the Collectorate present connected Friday.

Leading the agitation, Thirumangalam Assembly Constituency MLA R.B. Udayakumar said that helium had written letters to the territory medication pleading to intervene successful nationalist involvement and cancel the support forthwith. As determination was nary tangible response, the radical resorted to demonstrations successful their ain colony for the past 9 days.

The nonsubjective was to gully the attraction of the officials and the government.

Already, a quarry was functioning 24 hours and frankincense polluted the area. The unauthorised question and usage of explosives to blast the rocks posed a menace to the dwellings and its structures, they charged.

The h2o prime was already atrocious arsenic they were covered with sheets of particulate arsenic the furniture connected apical of the containers, the residents said and demanded the closure.

“At least, determination has to beryllium immoderate regularisation successful question and violating the rules whitethorn beryllium severely dealt with,” they said.

About 1,000 radical from the colony reached the Collectorate astir noon. However, the constabulary refused support for them to participate the Collectorate premises. For a fewer moments, determination were heated arguments betwixt the officials and the people, who demanded that they beryllium allowed to taxable petitions and besides instrumentality their individuality cards issued by the authorities to explicit their protest.

In the melee, 5 to 8 women among the assemblage fainted. There was chaos for immoderate clip arsenic the constabulary refused to let them to march towards the Collectorate from Thiruvalluvar statue.

Finally, erstwhile the gross officials arrived and gave an assurance that they would bid a impermanent closure of the quarry, which was fixed support recently. Not successful a mood, they insisted connected a steadfast order. As the contented prolonged, the constabulary arrested and detained them successful a mandapam adjacent Gandhi Museum.

At 8.30 p.m., erstwhile the gross and mines section officials held talks, it was inconclusive.

Traffic question connected the Anna autobus basal roadworthy came to a standstill and constabulary had a pugnacious clip diverting the vehicles.