MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered that no granite quarrying should be permitted covering an area of 51 acres at Panchapandavar hills at Keelavalavu near Melur in Madurai district.
A division bench comprising Justices N Paul Vasantha- kumar and R Subbiah delivered the landmark judgment after hearing public interest litigations filed by SOCO Trust member Mahboob Batcha, and residents of Keelavalavu — Pandi and Bhuvaneshwari.
The judges dismissed the argument of Tamil Nadu Minerals Ltd that quarrying at an area of 300 m away from the hills does not pose a danger.