Prabhat Nair With about a month into the Total Station Survey (TSS) by the Vigilance for assessing the actual quantum of mining loss incurred in Mookunnimala, the officials are finding it difficult to go ahead with illegal mining being reported from many places in the hill.
The illegal blasting was in violation of the High Court order that had banned blasting in the region for three months for completing the survey.
The Vigilance team had already prepared three mahasars with respect to illegal mining after the survey began.
Noting that the blasts were delaying the survey, Circle Inspector A Rabiyath, who is spearheading the investigation, said they have already prepared three mahasar reports in this regard.
Besides, it has also been alleged that the quarry owners were targeting some of the activists of the Mookunnimala Samrakshana Samithi, who have been fighting against illegal quarrying. It has been alleged that the quarry owners were filing unnecessary cases against the samithi activists.
A few days back, a complaint had come up against one of the Samithi activist Latha Preeth that she had encroached on the property of a certain quarry owner. The High Court had banned blasting in the hill on the basis of a complaint by Latha.
Mookunnimala Samrakshana Samithi joint convener Surendra Kumar alleged that the quarry mafia along with the Police were trying to forge cases against the activists.
Moreover, they alleged that the quarry owners were trying to stop the survey. “It is evident that the quarry owners had given a case against some officials in the survey team. All this is to scuttle the survey,” he said.
He said that while the Police had not taken any step in the cases filed by the Samithi, they were quick to respondto the petitions filed by the quarry owners. This shows there is a nexus between the quarry owners and the police, he alleged.
Moreover, Surendrakumar said the government should take all steps so that the survey is completed as per the High Court direction.
The High Court has given three months to complete survey despite the Vigilance seeking six months time. The survey ordered in the beginning of 2015 could not be started due to illegal quarry activities.
The Vigilance is said to be tasked with surveying more than 300 acres in the next three months.
And the biggest challenge is that there are no boundaries and the documents had been tampered with.