Government intervenes for smooth functioning of quarries

Thiruvananthapuram: Government intervenes to smoothen the functioning of quarryingand crushers. The intervention is also aimed at procuring more stone for Vizhinjam project.

The government had appointed a panel headed by the principal secretary to examine the problems in mining sector.   The government intervention comes at the same time when widespread complaints have been raised that operations of quarries have affected Western Ghats badly.

A government panel was constituted in 2015 on the demand of quarry owners after Kerala Mineral Concession Rules came into force in the same year. The panel included bureacrats and representatives of mining sector. The panel met three times and submitted their report to the government. However,  another panel was constituted since quarry owners complainted that the problems raised in the earlier reports were not solved.

Kerala Quarry and Crusher Operators Association president Raju Abraham MLA, All Kerala Quarry and Crusher Coordination Committee patron and former MLA AM Yusuf, Registered Metal Crusher Unit Owners Association president Kalanjur Madhu,  secretary Davis Pathadan, KK Radhakrishnan, Chandrababu, and Thomas Philip were members of the panel beside the government officers in the panel. However, no one from among environmentalists has been included in the panel.

Among the demands raised by the quarry owners are approval for excavation in plantation lands and lands with proper titles but not suitable for agriculture, and approval of quarry as an industry.