COIMBATORE: Taking strong exception to the revenue department’s notification seeking public opinion on the applications that were received for establishing brick kilns at Naickenpalayam village in Govanur, the residents and activists said they would move a contempt of court petition in Madras High Court regarding the notification.
“Around 35 brick kilns that functioned here illegally were shut down and their electricity connections were disconnected last year based on a court order. A case pertaining to this issue is still pending in the High Court. In this situation, 17 of the 35 parties have filed fresh applications for setting up kilns here, and in violation of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines, the revenue department has issued the notification,” they said.
As per the notification, the public can approach Periyanacikenpalayam land revenue inspector or the Coimbatore North revenue tahsildar within the next 15 days if they have any objections to the 17 parties establishing brick kilns or else permission will be granted.
S Ganesh from the Thadagam Valley Protection Committee told , “The kilns in Naickenpalayam village and Gudalur municipality were sealed off last December following a court order. However, 17 of those kiln owners are now trying to obtain permission to begin mining here and resume their activities. These kilns had earlier obstructed the waterways, and this led to a rise in man-animal conflict in the region. This is a burning issue in Govanur.”
“For many generations now, the residents of Govanur valley have been cultivating banana, turmeric, sugarcane, and arecanut. Allowing brick kilns to function here would be illegal as the area falls under the purview of the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA). We suspect that the government officials are colluding with the kiln owners,” he added.
M Perumalsamy, a local farmer and member of Govanur Meetpu Kuzhu, said the functioning of brick kilns in the area would deplete the groundwater resources. “One litre of water is needed to make one brick, and so if permitted, these kilns would use up two lakh litres of water daily. This would turn Govanur into a desert and make the soil unfit for cultivation,” he added.When contacted, District Revenue Officer M Sharmila told TNIE that she will look into the issue.