TENKASI: In the backdrop of the explosion at a stone quarry in Virudhunagar, which killed three workers on Wednesday, Former Congress MLA and Tenkasi Iyarkai Vala Pathukappu Sangam president K Raviarunan has demanded that the state government take action against those quarries in Tenkasi district that use unauthorised high-powered explosives.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Raviarunan said that stone quarry owners and operators purchase high-power explosives from black market. "Workers at the quarries dig a deep pit, drop the explosives inside it and blast them to extract large quantities of stones. Stones are also transported to Kerala in violation of the norms. The sangam's repeated petitions seeking action against such quarries have ended in vain. To avoid a Virudhunagar-like accident in stone quarries in Tenkasi, the state government should bring to book the erring quarries," he said.
Raviarunan also demanded that the state government implement an e-pass system for vehicles transporting the stones, in a bid to avoid smuggling of minerals. "A similar provision exists for vehicles entering Ooty and Kodaikanal. This system should be extended to other mineral-carrying vehicles as well, so that the state government can track their numbers, the amount of mineral being transported, and the destination," added Raviarunan. He also pointed out that hundreds of mineral-laden vehicles en route to Kerala cause traffic bottlenecks.