MADURAI: With the district administration recently inviting tenders for establishing granite quarries near Sekkipatti and Thiruchunai villages, the local residents fear the quarry activities would adversely impact the cultivation on their farms. They have submitted petitions to the union presidents urging them to convene a special grama sabha meeting to discuss the issue.
As per the district administration's announcement, the last date for tender submission is October 30 and a company for setting up the quarry will be finalised the next day. The selected company can operate the quarry for a period of 20 years.
On Saturday, the farmers from Sekkipatti submitted a petition to the panchayat president seeking steps towards preventing the establishment of the quarry in their village. "Both proposed quarries will be situated close to the farmlands in the villages. The environment and farm cultivation will take a huge hit if quarrying activities are allowed here. The groundwater table also could further get depleted," one of the farmers said. They have also decided to submit a petition with the district collector in this regard during the grievance redressal meeting on Monday.