MADURAI: The Sagayam Committee, appointed by the Madras High Court to investigate into the granite mining scam, estimated to have caused the exchequer `16,000-crore loss, commenced its probe in Madurai on Wednesday.
Amid a gathering of farmers and social activists waiting at around the Old Ramanathapuram Collectorate since Wednesday morning, U Sagayam, the Legal Commissioner of the panel, met Madurai Collector L Subramanian at Government Travellers’ Bungalow before assuming charge at a special chamber at the Old Ramanathapuram Collectorate on Wednesday.
Official sources said the Sagayam Committee might inquire Palaniswamy, partner, PRP Granite, which has six mining licences and estimated to have caused `5,000-crore losses to the government, about the alleged illegal mining at 17 quarries; and Alagiri’s son Durai Dayanidhi, who also recently moved a petition in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking to relax his anticipatory bail condition in the granite scam case. After taking charge, Sagayam during a meeting with an 11-member team of senior government experts in mining and geology, who would assist him in the probe, asked to collect details of the damage caused due to illegal granite quarrying from the Public Works Department and the Agriculture, Revenue, Mining and Animal Husbandry departments.
Sources said the expert team would receive petitions from farmers and members of the public affected by the illegal quarrying in the district on Thursday and meet again on Friday
The expert team includes T Muruganantham, Assistant Director (Mines), Namakkal; S Sudharsanam, Assistant Director (Mines) Commissioner Office, Chennai; R Perumal Raja, Assistant Geologist (Mines), Tiruvallur; K Ramesh, Assistant Geologist (Mines), Pudukottai; K Srisdharan, Retd Deputy Collector, Sivaganga; S Arunachalam; and V Meenakshi Sundaram, retired tahsildars, Madurai.