Blast in Tiruppur quarry: Woman, 3 others injured
Following an investigation on November 17, police booked a case against the quarry owner Vijayalakshmi and employees Shanmuga Sundaram, Jayapal, Karthik, and Shakthivel Murugan.
Published: 21st November 2023 10:22 AM | Last Updated: 21st November 2023 10:22 AM | A+A A-
According to police, the explosion in the quarry was triggered by a gas cylinder blast. (Express Illustrations)
TIRUPPUR: Four workers were injured in a blast in an illegal stone quarry at Kodangipalayam on November 15. The issue came to light on Monday when police booked five persons in connection with the incident. Further, a few people in the village said their houses suffered minor damages in the blast, and appealed to the government to close the quarry, whose license expired in October. A petition regarding this was submitted during the weekly grievance meeting on Monday.
According to police, the explosion in the quarry was triggered by a gas cylinder blast. Four workers – Ponnusamy, Shankar, Balaji, and Sandhya – who were resting in a shed nearby suffered injuries and were admitted in a private hospital.
Following an investigation on November 17, police booked a case against the quarry owner Vijayalakshmi and employees Shanmuga Sundaram, Jayapal, Karthik, and Shakthivel Murugan. Police added that the license of the facility expired in October and that they are investigating whether the quarry was functioning or not.
Speaking to TNIE, P Subramani (52), a resident said, “On November 15, a huge blast and the vibrations were felt all around the site. Since my house was 700 metres away from the site, I felt mild tremors. Cracks developed on the compound wall and one of the windows was broken. Though I, along with my neighbours tried to enter the quarry, the watchmen refused to allow us. However, found saw smoke emulating from the facility.”
“For the past several months, we have been demanding authorities to close the facility. But no action was taken and the quarry continued to function illegally with their political influence,” he added. Thangavel (48), another resident said, “The blast damaged more than 30 houses in a one kilometre radius of the quarry. A large crack appeared on one of my bedroom walls. Besides, many cattle grazing in the farmland near the stone quarry ran amok.” An official from the district administration said a team would inspect the houses that were damaged and quarry soon.
