Green tribunal orders closure of granite quarry

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor, Pathanamthitta
The Hindu, January 2, 2016

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the District Collector here to take necessary steps to stop the functioning of a private granite quarry at Thudiyurulippara at Vallikkode-Kottayam in Konni taluk.

The NGT was disposing of a writ petition filed by the Grama Raksha Samiti (GRS) represented by Shekharan Nair, according to Hareesh Vasudevan, lawyer who represented the petitioner at the tribunal.

Mr. Vasudevan said the NGT had also stayed the environment clearance granted for granite quarrying at Thudiyurulippara.

The quarry situated in an extent of six hectares of land was supposed to obtain environment clearance from 2006. But, the quarry operators could obtain clearance only in October last, making its functioning all these years illegal.

On the basis of the NGT order, the Konni tahsildar has served a notice to Ambadiyil Granites to stop granite quarrying at Thudiyurulippara with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, the GRS strongly opposed the shifting of the illegally quarried granite by the quarry owners on Friday.

The GRS questioned the environment clearance granted to the quarry by the State Environment Department.

The NGT accepted the petitioner’s argument that the quarry operators had encroached upon forestland as well as Revenue Puromboke land, Mr. Vasudevan said.

GRS has been campaigning against granite quarrying at Thudiyurulippara for the past few years. The samiti leaders alleged that the quarry functioning in an extent of 5.27 ha of land required mandatory environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on the basis of a proper environmental impact assessment.

GRS spokesmen Sujith K.S., Jyothish R. and N.B. Thankachan alleged that the two granite crusher units functioning in the quarry too required special permission.