CHENNAI: Flagging illegal quarrying in the state, Madras high court directed Tamil Nadu government to come down heavily on those who exploit mineral wealth in violation of lease conditions. It gave the government one week to file a detailed report on the issue. “The state must attend to this malaise immediately and deal with the perpetrators in a befitting manner. An appropriate report should be filed by a senior official in the government when the matter appears next on June 29,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said.
The court passed the order on a public interest writ petition seeking immediate end to illegal quarrying undertaken at several places.
When the plea came up for hearing on Monday, the court said: “The matter has been pending for some time and, primarily because of the second surge of the pandemic, not much attention could be given to it in the last few weeks.”
However, that does not mean that the state does not have to be vigilant to ensure that quarrying activities are undertaken only in accordance with the terms of the licenses granted and that the licensees adhere to the limited areas earmarked for them and do not undertake any quarrying activities beyond the areas allotted, the bench added.
“There are others who are indulging in quarrying without obtaining any license or permission. In several cases, it is not only the state’s assets which are being looted, but an environmental hazard is also being presented,” the judges said.
The court then adjourned the plea to June 29.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/madras-high-court-orders-crackdown-on-illegal-quarrying/articleshow/83736767.cms
