THOOTHUKUDI: Social activists are irked by the actions of the Kovilpatti police and revenue officials, who are tightlipped on the illegal mining of ‘saral’ (sand) from Kathiresan Malai at Kovilpatti. The hill is home to the famous Kathirvel Murugan Temple, belonging to the HR&CE department.
Sources said that a private school belonging to Pasumpon Educational Trust, located on HR&CE land in the foothills of the hill, removed saral sand to establish a playground for the school.
Without prior permission from the geology and mining department, miners had used explosives to blast the rocks off the hill. Several hundred loads of saral sand had been sold in the past week, before the Kovilpatti police acted on a complaint and secured an earthmover operator A Marikannan (30) and tipper lorry driver A Muthu Lakshmanan (34) on September 27.
However, they were released shortly after a call from the higher-ups. The private school also allegedly blocked the Manthithopu connection road on the foothills. Police officers claimed that they released the miners because the concerned revenue inspector and village administrative officer (VAO) refused to file complaints against the trust that runs the school.
Activist Sankaralingam of Fifth Pillar questioned whether the police are unaware that prior permission is required for mining on private lands.
“How do they justify breaking hills and rocks on land belonging to the HR&CE department? If people remain quiet, the historic hill will fall prey to illegal miners,” he said.
Those who blasted the hill without obtaining permission and lifted loads of sand, as well as the officials involved, should be brought to the books, Sankaralingam said. Karuthurumai Pathukappu Kootamaippu president Tamilarasan condemned the government officials working in favour of the illegal miners.
“At a time when the HR&CE department has been vigorously recovering encroached temple lands, it is condemnable that the officials attached to HR&CE, revenue and the police department remain mute spectators, instead of taking the matter to the notice of the state government,” he said. We will take the issue to the court if the district administration refuses to act, he said.
Sornamalai Kathirvel Murugan Temple, attached to the Shenbagavalliamma Temple, has a huge footfall of devotees.
Late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had announced plans to construct a 51-foot-tall Murugan statue on this hill in 2016.
Thoothukudi District Collector K Elambahavath told TNIE that the illegal mining was stopped immediately as the private school authorities had not obtained permission from the departments concerned.
Kovilpatti revenue divisional officer (RDO) has been inquiring about the incident, he said.