MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently sought a report from the Kanniyakumari district collector on the details regarding the licence granted for carrying out quarry operations in the district. A bench of justices D Krishnakumar and R Vijayakumar inquired whether any licence was granted for quarrying within the prohibited distance of 30 km from the Western Ghats, and asked if any illegal quarry operations were being carried out beyond the prescribed limit in any government or private site.
The judges further directed the collector to mention in the report if any transit permit has been issued to quarry owners or lessees to transport quarried minerals to Kerala. "If we are not satisfied with the report filed by the collector, we will take a serious view and the matter may be transferred to some other agency for taking necessary action on the illegal quarrying operations carried out in Kanniyakumari," the judges warned, and adjourned the case to February 21.
The directions were issued on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by one O Homerlal in 2018, seeking direction to stop all illegal quarrying activities in the district. Homerlal claimed that while the Kerala government strictly enforced rules when permitting quarry operations in their state, illegal quarry operations were being carried out in Kanniyakumari, particularly near Western Ghats, with the connivance of government officials and the quarried minerals are then transported to Kerala.
Considering the seriousness of the allegations made by the petitioner, the bench suo motu impleaded the state secretary of TN industries department in the case and sought the above report from the collector.