ILLITHODE: Hearing a deafening noise, the residents of Illithode in Malayattoor feared it was a landslide. For, the terrain is hilly. As the truth sunk in, the news of the powerful blast that took the lives of two migrant workers has sent shivers down the spine of many.The blast demolished the 1,500-square-foot house — near a granite quarry located within a 2.75-acre rubber plantation — where the two workers were staying. The debris lay spread among the rubber trees within a radius of 500m. Many houses in the vicinity also suffered damage under the impact of the blast.
“We thought it was a huge landslide,” said T P Poulose, a resident of Kadappara located four kilometres away from the blast site. “My 10-year-old son was frightened and was left wailing. After several hours, police vehicles passed through the area and we came to know of the blast. The house belonged to Sali, a native of Malayattoor. But he sold it to those running the quarry and the workers were using it.”
Another local resident, Pratheesh, said the blast shattered the window panes of his house. “The walls have also developed cracks. I have raised complaints with the tahsildar and other officials,” he said. People living nearby are up in arms against the functioning of the quarry. They accused the quarry does not maintain the required distance from the Edamalayar Irrigation Project and an aqueduct of the Irrigation Department.
A huge Kerala Water Authority tank is also located in the area.“The distance of the aqueduct and the water tank from the quarry is less than 500 metres,” said Akhil Kumar, one of the complainants.“The water from the aqueduct is used for irrigation purposes in the entire area and the water from the tank is used for drinking. The water tank, canal and the aqueduct have suffered damage and have developed cracks because of the illegal and unauthorised functioning of the quarry, and the indiscriminate blasting. Those structures are in a dangerous condition.”
As per subsection 2 of section 40 of the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act, no quarrying operation shall be permitted within a one-kilometre radius from structures such as water tanks and canals. Akhil said a High Court order passed in March, 2018, regarding the functioning of the quarry is yet to be implemented.
“After we filed a petition, the High Court directed the RDO to visit the site and to stop the quarry operations. The court had also sought a report within 10 days. The quarry also lacks environmental clearance. But the court order has not materialised so far because of the unholy nexus between the revenue officials and the quarry owners,” Akhil alleged. Had the blast happened during day-time, the number of casualties would have gone up manifold, he added.