MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Monday issued notice to the state geology and home department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), and Madurai collector on a PIL seeking direction to inspect and seal illegal stone quarries and crushers operating in and around Kallanai and neighbouring villages in Kallikudi taluk of Madurai.
R Subramaniyan, a resident of the village, stated in his petition that some stone crushers and blue metal quarries are functioning in the above villages without a valid lease and excavating beyond the permitted depth even after expiry of the lease period, sans environmental clearance.
They are also using high-intensity explosives recklessly and indiscriminately, causing rock fragments fall far outside the quarry boundaries, damaging the nearby agricultural lands and injuring agricultural coolie workers, he alleged.
Stating that the channel of the Gundar River, which has traditionally served as a vital water source benefiting farmers of the villages, is being damaged by the illegal quarry operators. They destroy the river banks due to which the carrying capacity of the river has been drastically reduced, resulting in obstruction of natural water flow, stagnation, and inundation of adjacent agricultural lands, he added.
They are also illegally dumping quarry waste, sludge, stone dust, and slurry into the Gundar River and its adjoining areas, in gross violation of environmental laws and statutory safeguards, he further alleged and sought the above relief.
A bench of justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan issued notice and adjourned the case for further hearing. It could be recalled that the bench has sought a detailed report on a similar petition filed on January 30.