THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Industries, Mining and Geology Minister P Rajeeve has condemned reports blaming granite quarries for the landslide at Meppadi in Wayanad. In a detailed post on Facebook, the minister said the state government had not given sanction for a single quarry near Punchirimattam, the epicentre of the landslide. This forest area falls in the high hazard zone. The nearest quarry is situated 10.2 km away. Wayanad district has a total of nine quarries, he said.
The mining and geology department has not given sanction for quarries in vulnerable landslide areas in the red zone marked in the hazard zonation map prepared by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. Quarries that were functioning when the map was released were closed as well.
The minister said there wasn’t a single quarry in the 10-km radius of the epicentre of the landslide at Kavalappara in Malappuram.
The state government provides sanction to quarries through strict processes.
Sanction is denied to applications for starting units that come under the red zone on the zonation map or in areas with over 45 degree slope.
If the area has witnessed landslides or any other natural disasters in the past or comes under ecologically sensitive area, the sanction is denied.
Details of all functioning quarries are available on the KOMPAS website of the government. Sanctioning process has been made online to avoid corrupt practices.