MADURAI: The Geology and Mining department will conduct a drone survey at 45 stone quarries in Madurai district soon to identify violations such as extraction of minerals beyond the permissible limit and outside designated boundaries.
Earlier this year, two such surveys were conducted at 11 quarries, of which seven were found to have violated norms.
This will be the third phase of the drone survey. The first was conducted at six quarries in Thirumangalam taluk, and the second at five quarries in Vadipatti taluk. Madurai district has a total of 56 stone quarries.
According to a department source, the state government had passed an order to conduct drone surveys in all quarries across Tamil Nadu. The objective is to find violations, including extraction beyond limits and quarrying outside permitted boundaries. As there are only 13 approved drone survey agencies, the department is prioritising quarries against which complaints have been lodged. Such quarries were checked in the earlier phases.
A senior official said five of the six quarries surveyed in the first phase were found to have failed to comply with the rules, and the revenue department imposed fines. The sixth quarry has approached the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court seeking waiver of the penalty.
In the second phase, two quarries in Katchaikatti and three in Kondayampatti, both in Vadipatti taluk, were surveyed.
In Kondayampatti, quarrying was found near the site where the NHAI is constructing an animal overpass.
“Among the two quarries in Katchaikatti, one has approached the court for waiver of the penalty while the other has appealed to the district collector. The report regarding the three quarries in Kondayampatti is pending,” a revenue department source said.