CHENNAI: The state government told the Madras High Court on Friday that task forces set up at different levels have been holding periodic checks to prevent illegal quarrying and transportation of minerals.
The submission was made by V Sasikumar, assistant director of Geology and Mines in Coimbatore, before the first bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy when a public interest litigation (PIL) petition alleging smuggling of minerals to neighbouring Kerala came up for hearing.
“In order to effectively monitoring the quarrying and transportation of minerals, special teams with the officials of Police, Revenue, Geology and Mining departments have been constituted by the district collector and the team are conducting periodic rides and checks within the district to prevent illegal quarrying and transportation of rough stones,” a status report filed in the court stated.
Task forces at the district and taluk level have been constituted and they are holding coordination meeting discuss the ways and means to prevent illegal quarrying and transportation of minerals. Referring to the allegations contained in the petition, which was filed by Gopi Krishnan of Coimbatore, the report said that out of the nine quarries named, six were found to be bogus and three were not operational. The bench directed the petitioner to respond to the report.
HC refuses to stay order to take inventory of MN Nambiar’s property
Chennai: A division bench of Justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq of the Madras High Court on Friday refused to stay a single judge’s order appointing an advocate commissioner to take inventory of late actor MN Nambiar’s moveable properties. The bench refused to grant the relief sought by Nambiar’s daughter Snehalata Nambiar who had filed an appeal against the single judge’s order. The judges, however, said they can appoint another advocate as the commissioner for taking the inventory and noted that the single judge’s order was passed on a petition filed by the late actor’s grandsons.