Latest news with #TamilNaduMinorMineralConcessionRules
New Indian Express
13-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Six months after drone survey, no action has been taken on quarries in Madurai yet
MADURAI: Residents of Katchaikatti in Vadipatti taluk say the district administration is yet to take action against stone quarries that have violated norms even though a drone survey was conducted six months ago. For the last 22 years, several quarries are functioning in Katchaikatti panchayat, which is located 46 km from Madurai city. The residents have submitted petitions to the district collector, and Chief Minister's Cell, complaining about noise and air pollution caused by the quarries. TNIE has published several reports regarding the issue. In January this year, officials from the department of mines and geology conducted a field inspection and a drone survey. Sources said the report has been forwarded to revenue department, based on which two quarries were sealed in March, allegedly for mining beyond permissible limit and functioning even after the licence expired. Also, the district administration has stopped issuing fresh quarry licence in the region. The residents, however, demand that the district administration must take action against all quarries, based on the drone survey and field inspection. Speaking to TNIE, environment activist M Gnanasekar said, "Heavy vehicles carrying boulders and gravel ply across the village. The dust from vehicle movement and crusher plant constantly creates eye irritation and leaves fine layer on faces. Several people are facing respiratory issues, skin diseases and renal ailments." He further said quarries have been allowed as close as 300 m from residential areas and that quarry owners have converted a water stream into a pathway. These are violations as per the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959. "I filed RTI petition seeking the drone survey report, but it was denied. I filed second appeal, till now the Public Information Officer(PIO) of the Geology and Mining has not furnished the report," he added. On request of anonymity, an official from the district administration said, "Officials are working based on the drone survey report as well as the physical inspection. Soon, action will be taken against the quarries that have violated rules."
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
HC: 21L cbm illegally mined in Tirupur
Chennai: More than 21 lakh cubic metres (cbm) of rough stone and soil — 1.6 times Porur Lake's full capacity — were illegally mined from two adjacent quarries in Kodangipalayam, Tirupur, Madras High Court found. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy upheld the govt's cancellation of an order that let the quarry operate despite large-scale violations. He directed prosecution, full recovery of mineral value, penalty reassessment, and action toward lease cancellation. The court appreciated district collector Vinith IAS for constituting the taluk task force and uncovering the violations. Although the commissioner of geology and mining later criticised the collector in writing, records showed the commissioner dictated the penalty order himself, with junior officials preparing the draft and signing it, bypassing higher-level scrutiny. Quarry operator R Ramakrishnan challenged the Dec 6, 2024, govt order issued under Rule 40 of the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, which overturned a 2022 directive from the then Commissioner. That directive allowed quarrying to resume on payment of 30 lakh upfront and the balance 10.4 crore in instalments—of which only 4.99 crore was paid by Nov 2024. Inspections revealed that lessee exceeded approved depths — up to 50.8 metres where 25 metres was sanctioned — and mined far beyond permitted volumes. Violations included unpermitted extraction, merged pits across expired and current leases, unsafe proximity to patta lands and power lines, and dumping soil on private land. The court termed the 2022 order "fraudulent" and "shocking to conscience," finding that no prosecution was initiated, and penalties were drastically underassessed. The total value of illegally mined minerals was estimated at 78.48 crore. The court directed the sub-collector to file a private complaint, asked the state to initiate lease cancellation proceedings, and called for a supplementary order to recover dues and assess penalties under Rule 36-A.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- The Hindu
Abandoned quarry sites, wells, water bodies to be fenced to prevent another tragic accident
MADURAI The recent accident at Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district where a car plunged into a roadside well leading to the death of five people, including a toddler, has raised concerns about the safety of taluk and panchayat roads. The accident led to Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam directing Collectors and Highway Department officials to conduct immediate inspections of roadside wells and hazardous road stretches across the State. The direction to identify open wells, potholes, and other potentially dangerous areas along roads, according to road users, has come at a time when voices for fencing unused quarries in Madurai district too have been raising. While Madurai district is covered by quarries, several of them have been abandoned long ago due to irregularities flagged by officials, or after expiry of licences. One particular abandoned stone quarry on either side of the road leading to Masthanpatti from Vandiyur ring road junction in Madurai is to be fenced immediately to avoid any untoward incident. While some of the places have elevated boundaries, the abandoned quarry sites along the roads at Masthanpatti situated en route Sakkimangalam lies on the road level without any protective boundaries. The quarries which are about 30 feet deep from the road surface would be sufficient to create massive damage to the vehicle if any accidents are to happen in the future. K. Manimohan, a former quarry worker residing nearby the quarry sites, says though no major accidents have taken place at the location, other than one or two minor accidents, the quarries ought to be fenced before any such accident takes place. The road, which is used by thousands of people from more than 20 villages to reach ring road every day for their jobs, could end up dangerous anytime as the road is less than around 15 feet wide. At night, the stretch of road would be even more dangerous due to lack of streetlights and unfenced deep trenches, he adds. As per Rule 32 of the Granite Conservation and Development Rules 1999, every lease holder shall undertake in a phased manner restoration, reclamation and rehabilitation of lands affected by prospecting of mining operations and shall complete the work before the conclusion of such operations and the abandonment of the granite quarry. Also, as per the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959, the District Collector has an important role to constitute a committee under their chairmanship called as the Reclamation, Restoration and Rehabilitation Committee comprising District Collector (Chairperson), Assistant Director of Geology and Mining (Secretary), District Forest Officer, Executive Engineer, (Water Resources Department), District Environment Engineer, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board), Chief Executive Officer, District Disaster Management Authority) and the District Fire Officer. But, as a known fact, most of the quarry sites in and around the district remain unfenced, unused and dangerous to the public. M. Janaki, a villager, says they are vigilant while passing through the road. 'We are cautious while allowing our children to drive through the road as we never know what might happen if they even slip a bit on either side of the road.' According to a revenue official, the place has remained unfenced for several years. 'We do not have plans to fence, but we will convey the issue to higher officials for action,' the official says. Similarly, in an area called Panaikulam near Thiruvathavur in Melur block in the district, a vast area nearby the road which appears to be a pastureland on just a glance is a water body covered with water hyacinth and other plants. 'While the morning light could somewhat differentiate the road and the water body, night rides are tricky as even a slip from the road edge could put them in a nightmare,' says regular commuters. Especially, when heavy vehicles tried to leave way for other vehicles they could very easily slip from the edge, they added. In Thoothukudi district, where the tragic accident claimed five lives, several such unfenced open private wells can be seen while travelling through any highway or village roads. In Thoothukudi taluk alone, about nine wells have been identified to be dangerous and left unfenced near important roads. Residents of Kumaragiri village, where a private well is located nearby Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli National Highway, say such wells are common in the region surrounding the district. 'Most of them are privately owned and used for agricultural purposes and even for drinking water purposes.' Asked why they have been left unfenced, they says the wells were initially near the agricultural land or their houses were far away from the road, but as the roads were expanded to build highways, the roads came closer to the wells. 'Since no one asked us, or we did not feel the need to fence it, we have left it open. Only the recent incident has caught the eyes of officials about the unsafe wells located along important roads,' they add. Officials say Thoothukudi Collector K. Elambahavath has directed revenue officials to identify such open wells in their taluks and fence it, or create bunds to differentiate them from the adjacent roads. Another similar well on Dindigul – Natham National Highway near Ponagaram, which too looks dangerous, has no warning boards or warning signs to inform commuters about its location. Not just the vehicles but also pedestrians, who use the platform near the well could misplace their steps into the well anytime. As the wells usually would not be full to the brim and appears to be covered with grass due to growth of water plants, the danger of mistaking it for barren land is high, say nearby residents. However, the residents are hopeful that the unused or under use wells would be covered by a fence or closed using iron grills after the State government has passed an order to inspect such precarious wells. Though it cannot be permanently sealed, at least fencing it would prevent accidents caused by open wells and water bodies.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Justice delayed: HC punishes state govt for lease violation
Madurai: Madras high court has directed the principal secretary of the industries department to pay 20 lakh to five petitioners and 5 lakh to the Chief Justice Relief Fund for wilful disobedience of an order passed by the court in 2010 pertaining to granting a quarry lease to a person. The court was hearing a contempt petition filed in 2015 by B Shanthi, B Balaji, B Vishnuvaradan, B Umamaheswari, and D Bhavani of Trichy district, complaining about the non-compliance of an earlier order. Since N Babu, who filed the contempt petition, died, his family members were substituted as petitioners in the case. A person was granted a licence to quarry sand in the Cauvery river, covering an extent of 10 hectares in Srinivasanallur village at Thottiyam taluk in Trichy district, for three years from Dec 20, 2001, to Dec 19, 2004. Subsequently, the state govt issued a GO in 2003, introducing Rule 38-A to the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules , 1959 (TNMMCR), thereby taking over the operation of sand quarries by the govt. The GOs were challenged in a batch of petitions. The HC upheld the validity of the GO, subject to certain directions in favour of the petitioners. Aggrieved by the same, the state preferred a civil appeal before the Supreme Court, which upheld the validity of Rule 38-A while permitting the lessees who were in existence as of October 2, 2003, to continue quarrying operations and also directed a refund of the unutilised lease amounts. A review petition by the state was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Pursuant to the Supreme Court order, the Trichy district collector permitted the man to carry on quarrying operations for six months from Feb to Aug in 2007. However, the petitioner was unable to commence the quarrying operations as the forest department deferred passing an order granting permission to use the pathway for transportation. Consequently, the permission period for quarrying operations expired. Thereafter, the man submitted a representation seeking an extension of the quarrying period; however, the same was rejected. Challenging it, the man filed a petition before the HC in 2008. The court directed the man to approach the forest department for permission to use the pathway and to approach the Trichy collector for an extension of the quarry lease. While the forest department granted permission, the collector disregarded his application. Therefore, the man filed the present contempt petition in 2015. A subsequent review application and appeal were also dismissed. Justice K Kumaresh Babu observed that the court holds the authorities guilty of contempt of the order passed in 2010. The wilful violation was to deny the rights of a man who was benefited from the order passed by the court. There is a collective bureaucratic effort to defend the violation of the orders of this court by taking protection under the umbrella of subsequent events. Hence, the judge gave the direction to the principal secretary.
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
HC directs Industries Department to pay ₹20 lakh to petitioners for wilful disobedience of court orders
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Industries Department to pay a sum of ₹20 lakh to petitioners and another ₹5 lakh to the Chief Justice Relief Fund for the wilful disobedience of court orders to grant permission for sand quarrying operations in Tiruchi district. The court was hearing a contempt petition filed in 2015 by Babu of Tiruchi, the original petitioner. The other petitioners B. Shanthi, B. Balaji, B. Vishnuvaradan, B. Umamaheswari and D. Bhavani, his family members, were added as petitioners following the demise of Babu. The contempt petition was filed for non compliance of the order wherein Tiruchi Collector was directed to grant permission for quarrying sand in favour of the petitioner on the basis of the pathway permission from the Forest Department with conditions stipulated by the Supreme Court. The petitioner was granted licence to quarry sand covering an extent of 10 hectares in Srinivasanallur village at Thottiyam taluk in Tiruchi district for three years from December 2001 to December 2004. Subsequently, the State government issued a G.O. in 2003 introducing Rule 38-A to the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959, thereby taking over the operation of sand quarries by the government. The court upheld the validity of the G.O. subject to certain directions in favour of the petitioner. Aggrieved by the same, the State government preferred a Civil Appeal before the Supreme Court which upheld the validity of Rule 38-A, while permitting the lessees who were in existence as October 2, 2003, to continue quarrying operations and also directed refund of the unutilised lease amounts. A review petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Pursuant to the Supreme Court order Tiruchi Collector permitted the petitioner to carry on quarrying operations for six months. However, the petitioner was unable to commence the quarrying operations as the Forest Department deferred passing an order granting permission to use the pathway for transportation. Consequently, the permission period for quarrying operations expired. The petitioner sought extension of the quarrying period, which was rejected on the ground that the original permission period had already lapsed. The rejection order was challenged. In 2010, the court directed the petitioner to approach the Forest Department for permission to use the pathway and to approach Tiruchi Collector for extension of the quarry lease. The petitioner submitted an application to the Forest Department and the Department granted permission to use the pathway. Subsequently, the petitioner approached Tiruchi Collector for extension of the lease period. However, the same was disregarded. by Tiruchi Collector. A contempt petition was filed before the court. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu said the court was of the view that there has been a violation of the orders of the court. Such violation is a wilful disobedience only to deny the benefits of the order of the court to the petitioner. There was a collective bureaucratic effort in seeing to defend the violation of the orders of the court by taking protection under the umbrella of subsequent events.
