Official machinery’s apparent warning to illicit miners, transporters gives temporary relief to conservationists

A recently conducted meeting by the Collector and the Superintendent of Police in Tenkasi district to curb violations in mining and transportation of minerals to neighbouring Kerala appears to have yielded positive results.

Of the district’s 50-odd active stone quarries, around 45 send minerals, including stones, blue metal, M-sand, and quarry dust, to Kerala, where suppliers get huge revenue as they can sell them for exorbitant prices since the neighbouring State has banned all kinds of mining for conservation purposes. Only four quarries have restricted their business to Tenkasi district.

With customers in Kerala ensuring profitable revenue for mineral suppliers of Tenkasi, hundreds of heavy trucks transport minerals to the State. Eyeing for more revenue, the miners indulge in all kinds of violations such as digging beyond permissible levels and overloading trucks.

After the Tenkasi District Iyarkkai Vala Paathukappu Sangam, a registered body campaigning against the issue, approached the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court with a plea seeking survey all stone quarries in Tenkasi district for illegal mining, the Department of Mines started issuing instructions to the quarries.

Following complaints from conservationists and the public about illegal mining of minerals and stones beyond permissible limits and transporting them to Kerala in overloaded heavy trucks, police started cracking the whip against the vehicles. The action against the violators gathered momentum after a petrol bomb was lobbed on a mineral-laden lorry near Alangulam in which the driver sustained serious burns.

When the conservationists complained that the weighbridges too have joined hands with the looters by issuing fake weighing passes to the trucks to hoodwink the police checking them for overloading, the Department of Mines organised a meeting on February 2. Collector A.K. Kamal Kishore, SP G. S. Madhavan, top officials of the Departments of Mines and Revenue and owners of quarries, lorries and weighbridges participated.

Although the outcome of the meeting was not revealed, the miners, transporters and weighbridge owners have apparently been warned severely.

“We are waging a sustained battle against this looting, but we were not invited for the meeting. The decisions taken at the meeting have not been made public in the form of a statement from the Collector. However, after the meeting, we cannot see any movement of mineral-laden lorries during the restricted hours. Moreover, the overloading issue has also been addressed, it seems. If the official machinery is really concerned about conservation of natural resources and strict implementation of the decisions taken at the latest meeting, it will be good for the district,” said S. Jameen, secretary, ‘Tenkasi District Iyarkkai Vala Paathukappu Sangam.