NAGERCOIL: Air pollution is their grievance. People of a picturesque hillside village in Kanyakumari district are up in arms against the production of 'M-sand' (manufactured sand) in the their locality near Kulasekharam.
They are incensed by a Kerala-based private company that is flouting regulations under the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forests Act and drawing water from the Kodayar riverbed without clearance from the Public Works Department.
'M-sand' is the brand name of crushed granite. It is used in masonry work as an alternative to river sand in Kerala.
The product is manufactured by POABS group, headquartered in central Travancore's Tiruvalla, in its unit located in a notified forest area in Kattachal Araganadu here.
The unit and the quarry are surrounded by about 85 houses of smalltime rubber planters.
Ever since the 1962founded POABS started production of Msand here eight months ago, the people have been suffering from air pollution.
That prompted the beleaguered people to form the Aranganadu People's Welfare Movement (APWM) to fight against the unit, from where at least 500 lorries transport Msand daily to Kerala, APWN president Raghavan told Express.
APWM functionary Mani said rocks were brought from elsewhere initially. But, for the past six months, rocks within the premises are used, he said.
Added Hari, another APWN functionary: "Even houses under construction have developed fissures. Dust from the quarry causes respiratory problems."
The unit is drawing more than 1.5 lakh litres of water per day from two wells near the Kodayar riverbed for washing the crushed stones. This is a violation of PWD rules, said PWD Executive Engineer Subramanian.
"The quarry has not got prior permission from the PWD for exploiting wells," he added. He said the PWD had twice written to the TNEB to disconnect power to the unit.
The quarry premises (survey numbers 471/2 and 473), said Raghavan, fell in the region notified as private forest under the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forest Act, 1949.
Forest department sources confirmed this and said they had objected to giving clearance certificate for the quarry.
But the quarry has begun operations after getting a stay from court.