DHARMAPURI: Residents of Ganpathipatti village near Harur have filed a petition demanding the district administration to close down mining operations near their village.
Nearly 10 years ago, a mining operation began in the outskirts of the Ganapathipatti village and over the past few months the
operations have expanded. Following this, the surrounding villages, including Kurumpatti, Paraiyapatti, Ganapathipatti, Mottur, Palaiyur and many others have been facing difficulties cultivating crops due to the massive dust clouds that the explosions create. Further, the ground water levels have also dropped to an alarmingly low level, causing the surrounding villages to abandon cultivation due to the lack of water.
Speaking to TNIE, R Kesavan from Kurumpatti said, "The mining operations are carried out throughout the day and in the night. This has resulted in many homes facing deep cracks, with doors cracked open and the entire agricultural lands crippled by thick dust from the explosions.
The constant movement of heavy vehicles is also a safety risk as children use the roads to go to school. The utter disregard for the people in the village and the lack of monitoring from the administration is disheartening."
Another petitioner, P Theerthalingam said, "Nearly a dozen villages in the vicinity of the mining operations rely on ground water sources to practice cultivation. But in the past two years, many borewells have failed.
The mines, however, have several borewells which use high power motors to siphon water, resulting in depletion of our water sources. A thorough investigation must be conducted."
When TNIE reached to officials in the revenue department they said, "We will conduct an investigation into the operation of the mines and take necessary steps."