Farmers complain about indiscriminate quarrying activities in Madurai

Farmers complained about indiscriminate stone quarrying taking place in Madurai district, particularly at Kallanai in Kalligudi taluk. They urged authorities to take necessary action to stop the indiscriminate quarrying activities and protect the environment.

At the farmers grievance redress meeting held at the Collectorate on Friday under the chairmanship of Madurai District Collector K.J. Praveen Kumar, the farmers said the quarries were operating in violation of rules, affecting the waterbodies in the area.

The water in the waterbodies had dried up and this in turn affected the agricultural activities, the farmers said, adding that the size of the waterbodies had also reduced. They were facing drinking water issues as a result. The bunds were being used to transport the minerals, they said.

The farmers complained that the quarries were being illegally operated on panchami lands, temple lands and even on the lands that were assigned to landless farmers. The quarrying activities posed a serious threat to the health of the people.

The Collector told the farmers that the authorities had been instructed to inspect these places to ascertain whether there were any violations. Drones were used in this regard. Appropriate action would be taken, the Collector said.

Further, the farmers complained about encroachments on waterbodies in the district. Even though clear rules were in place, encroachments were continuing. Strict action should be taken against the encroachers, they urged.

To a query raised by the farmers on desilting Vaigai dam in order to increase its storage capacity, the authorities said the necessary steps would be taken once funds were released.

The issue of irregularities in the functioning of direct purchase centres was again highlighted at the meeting. While the authorities said a meeting was conducted in this regard recently, the farmers said they were not properly informed about it and were not aware about it. They called for transparency.

Some of the other issues raised at the meeting were dumping of garbage near paddy fields and burning of garbage. The authorities said they would look into those issues. The farmers also demanded the release of details regarding irrigation areas in the district. They said a survey should be conducted and water should be released for irrigation purpose accordingly.