MADURAI: The residents of Thirumal in Kallikudi taluk continued their indefinite protest for the sixth consecutive day on Monday, demanding that the authorities concerned to revoke the licence recently awarded to a private player for the establishment of a stone quarry in the village.
The protesters alleged that despite the district officials’ assurance, the works for establishing the stone quarry commenced on September 24.
Meanwhile, more than 100 villagers petitioned Collector K J Praveen Kumar on Monday to take steps to prevent the quarry activities. Based on their petition, the collector ordered the officials of the Department of Geology and Mining to conduct an inspection and submit a report.
V P Kaniyan, a resident, told TNIE that 4.75 hectares of land area are being used to set up the quarry. He said the villagers submitted as many as 400 petitions during a public hearing for the quarry proposal, held on September 18, 2024. He said the officials gave an assurance that the proposed quarry would not be established, but work for the same began on September 24, 2025.
“As per Section 83(2) of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) Act, 1956, a stone quarry must maintain a distance of at least 1,000 ft from an electricity tower. However, in this case, one such tower is located just 23 metres away,” he claimed.
Further, Kaniyan said agriculture is the livelihood of a majority of the villagers and the Thirumal kanmoi (tank) serves as the major source for irrigation. Setting up the quarry would deplete the groundwater level and impact cultivation.
Another resident, R Lakshmanan, said the quarry proposal violates several norms, including the Site Criteria and Section 36(1) of the Tamil Nadu Minor Minerals Concession Rules, 1959, as approved housing sites and water channels fall within a 300-metre radius. “A quarry and a crusher, owned by the same private player, are already functioning in the village, causing severe respiratory issues to the residents.”
Revenue department officials told TNIE that they have been planning to conduct an inspection at Thirumal village. The officials from the Department of Geology and Mining TNIE spoke to said the revenue department had granted permission based on the reports of various departments. However, as per the orders of the collector, the department would carry out an inspection soon, they said.