CHENNAI: The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has permitted as many as 177 ‘illegal’ brick kilns in Thadagam Valley to resume sales, which was stopped after a Madras High Court order on January 2021, following which the units were sealed. Earlier this month, on March 2, a bench comprising justices N Sathish Kumar and D Baratha Chakravarthy set a three-month deadline for the state government to close all the red sand quarry pits.
As per the status report submitted by the Commissioner of Geology and Mining, there are over 1.19 crore baked bricks and 3 crore unbaked bricks in 175 brick kilns. The market value of the total stockpile is estimated to be Rs 20 crore, it added. The brick kiln owners requested the NGT to permit the sale of bricks that are already manufactured as further retention would deteriorate their value.
In his report, J Jayakanthan, Commissioner of Geology and Mining, had appealed to the NGT to permit the operation of the brick kilns after obtaining all statutory clearances from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and Hill Area Conservation Authority as required under Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959.
The NGT bench comprising judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member K Satyagopal considered their request and passed an interim order in the favour of brick kilns. “Brick kiln owners may be permitted to remove the baked bricks as per the number indicated in the report of the Commissioner (Geology and Mines),” said the bench. However, the owners have been asked to pay a penalty levied by the Commissionerate of Geology and Mining in full and furnish a bank guarantee before clearing the piled-up bricks.
Several environmentalists took exception to the order, which comes as a relief for the brick kiln owners. T Mohan, a senior advocate, said the depth of the brick kilns, where the earth has already been excavated, is beyond repair.
“The bricks, which are baked and unbaked, should be put inside the pit. Even this may not be sufficient to replenish the earth as more than 3,803 acres of land spreading over five villages in Coimbatore and 2.25 Crores Cu.M. of the earth was excavated,” he said, adding that an estimated 1,130 crore bricks have been manufactured in total.
Jayakanthan said a total of 141 brick kiln owners have remitted the first instalment of the penalty levied, amounting to a sum of Rs 2.81 crore. “Around 67 owners have paid the full penalty amount. “So far, the total penalty received is Rs 6.01 crore and the balance payment will be known within a week,” he said.
The official said due closure of brick kilns in Thadagam, Veerapandi, Nanjundapuram, Somayapalayam and Pannimadai villages in Coimbatore, the cost of bricks has increased from Rs 6 to Rs 13-14. Bricks from the chambers of the other three districts--Madurai, Dindigul and Erode--were being transported and supplied at higher rates in Coimbatore and other districts.
The NGT has granted a time of four weeks for the authorities to file the compliance report on April 17, 2023, after the completion of the exercise.