Regularly monitor quarry sites, reporting findings to the district authorities in Kanniyakumari and Madras

The district administration of Kanniyakumari were recently instructed by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to conduct routine inspections of the district’s mining and stone-crushing operations and to take harsh measures against any deviations.

In response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition submitted by a person named O Homerlal in 2018, the district’s unlawful quarrying operations were to be stopped, the directive was given. Homerlal said that while the government of Kerala is taking strong action against illicit quarry operations within its jurisdiction, these operations persist in Kanniyakumari, especially in the vicinity of the western ghats, and with the approval of government employees. The minerals are subsequently sent to Kerala, he said.

The court had previously suo motu impleaded the state secretary of the industries department in the case due to the seriousness of the charges, and it had requested a comprehensive report from the collector about the quantity of permits issued to quarries in the district.

The district collector issued a report based on the aforementioned directive, which stated that 44 leases were given for the quarrying of rough stone (43), soil (1), and patta lands in the Kanniyakumari district. There are now 11 quarry leases in place in the area that are authorized for the extraction of rough stone. Only six of them are now in operation, the study said. The article also said that quarry operations in environmentally sensitive regions had been stopped as a result of a high court injunction.

Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and Justice G. Ilangovan said in their bench that the authorities have an obligation to follow the limitations set out by the legislation, rules, and regulations. They also dismissed the petition and issued the aforementioned directive.