Revenue Divisional Officer A. Gopakumar has admitted that the functioning of the granite quarry at Thekkummala in Vadasserikkara grama panchayat is unauthorised and illegal.
There were reports of unauthorised functioning of the quarry even after the local grama panchayat denied permission to it. Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Gopakumar said the Dangerous and Offensive Trades and Factories licence of the grama panchayat concerned was the prime requirement for operating a granite quarry.
The Vadaserikkara grama panchayat had not renewed the licence which expired on March 31, as the quarry operators failed to produce the mandatory environment clearance certificate for the same, official sources said.
Though the matter was duly conveyed to the Circle Inspector of Police in Ranni, the police failed to act, official sources said. However, the quarry was closed down for a few days following public protests. But, the unauthorised quarrying resumed on the pretext of some ‘special sanction.’
The RDO had conducted a detailed inquiry into the alleged encroachment of quarry operators on the adjoining government land two years ago. He found that 13 acres of the 15-acre granite quarry at Thekkummala was puramboke land.
The RDO had submitted a report to the Collector, earlier, stating that a huge quantity of granite worth crores of rupees had already been removed. The RDO further stated that the quarry had been functioning in an extent of 15 acres of land and of this, 12 acres was Revenue puramboke. However, the RDO’s report was sidelined for reasons best known to the authorities concerned, leaving the illegal quarrying unabated, said V.N. Gopinatha Pillai.
Meanwhile, United Democratic Front district convener Pandalam Sudhakaran urged Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala to intervene in the matter and order a probe into the illegal quarrying.
