CHENNAI: Congress MLA from Killiyoor constituency, S Rajesh Kumar, on Wednesday urged the DMK government to take a policy decision to ban the transportation of gravel, blue metal, and M Sand from Kanyakumari district to Kerala for construction purposes.
Participating in the discussion on the demands for grants for the Water Resources Department in the Assembly, the Congress MLA said large quantities of gravel, blue metal, and M Sand beyond the permitted limits, are being transported to Kerala in heavy-duty vehicles since quarries have been banned in the neighbouring state.
He said since Kanyakumari is located in an ecologically significant part along the Western Ghats, the people of the district have been opposing this transportation very much.
“At the same time, for many developmental works, Kanyakumari district needs gravel, blue metal, and M Sand. Hence, the government should take a policy decision to ban the transportation of these mineral resources to Kerala and allow operation of quarries as per rules to cater to the needs of the district,” Rajesh Kumar said.
The Congress MLA also charged that thousands of tonnes of sea sand are being taken away for segregating minerals and due to this, the residential areas of fishermen became prone to sea erosion.