THENI : Tamil Nadu Environmental Protection Movement Coordinator RS Mukilan condemned District Collector RV Shajeevana for failing to prevent DMK cadres from intervening during a public opinion meeting on the leasing of six stone quarries in the district.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Mukilan said that the public opinion meeting on leasing the six quarries located in Kamayakavundanpatti was held in the presence of the district collector on Tuesday. The hills, namely Sangili Karadu, are located near Megamalai Reserve Forest, which houses many archaeological monuments. Though the six stone quarries would be licenced for self-help groups, DMK members joined the meeting and prevented environmental activists from voicing out their concerns, Mukilan stated.
He further stated that the activists, namely Kambur Selvaraj, Annathurai and Gnanasekaran, were prevented from expressing their opinions to the collector and were forcibly removed from the place. Yet, the collector failed to intervene, Mukilan stated and urged the state government to cancel the proposal to lease the six stone quarries in the district. “We will continue our protests otherwise,” he said.