KOCHI: Observing granite quarrying has become rampant in the state, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday held it was time the State government reconsidered its policy with regard to granting mining or quarrying leases and permits.
The court expressed hope the government would take serious note of the danger that can result from indiscriminate grant of mining leases and permits, and adopt proactive measures to avoid such eventualities in future.
The court issued the order on a batch of petitions regarding quarrying in the Mookkunnimala area in Thiruvananthapuram district. It held the government should examine on a case-by-case basis whether there is a need to grant quarrying lease or permit in Mookkunnimala area or to renew such permits, taking into account the availability of natural resources. The data required for such a scrutiny should be collected and analysed by the government itself, rather than depending on a report submitted by the project proponent, which could well be self-serving.
A recent study conducted by the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, had found there are 5,924 quarries in the State, covering an area of 7,156.6 hectares. Central Kerala ranks the highest in terms of the number of quarries and the area, with 2,438 quarries covering 3,610.4 hectares. North Kerala has 1,969 quarries covering an area of 1,872 hectare, while south Kerala has 1,517 quarries in 1,675 hectares.
The court held it did not find any merit in the submission by the State government that the quarrying leases obtained by the leaseholders are liable to be cancelled on the ground they were obtained without a proper disclosure of the nature of the lands. The court found quarrying leases obtained by the leaseholders are not liable to be cancelled.