COIMBATORE: Based on Madras High Court’s directions, a team headed by District Judge of Permanent Lok Adalat G Narayanan and officials from the district administration inspected brick kilns and lands where red sand and gravel sand were dug at villages in Thondamuthur and Perur Blocks in Coimbatore on Sunday.
The court gave the order while hearing a petition regarding red sand and gravel sand mining in private and government lands in Alandurai, Thondamuthur, Mathampatti, Puluvapatti, Thenkarai, Karadimadai and Vellimalaipattinam.
The team comprising sub judge of the District Legal Services Authority K Ramesh, District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, Superintendent of Police K Karthikeyan and officials from the revenue, geology and mines department, inspected lands where sand mining was taking place.
The team commenced the inspection at 7 am and continued till evening. They visited 19 brick kilns (small kilns) and 11 brick chambers which were closed. The officials measured the depth from which sand has been excavated.
According to sources, eight cases have been registered against land owners and brick kiln operators so far based on complaints filed by village administrative officers in Perur, Thondamuthur, and Alandurai police stations.
Officials said the inspection will continue in Anaikatti on Monday. The report will be submitted to the court during the next hearing in the case.
Citing indiscriminate mining, a petitioner from Coimbatore filed a petition in the Madras High Court by submitting pictures of the land. The petitioner reported that red sand was excavated without permission from officials.
The petitioner alleged that sand was excavated for more than ten feet by using earth movers along the forest boundary and inside the forest at some places. Hearing the petition the High Court directed the district administration to hold an inspection and file a report.