The Hindu : Kerala News : Curbs on soil extraction in Ottappalam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Curbs on soil extraction in Ottappalam

By Our Staff Reporter

PALAKKAD, MARCH 29. The Sub-Collector of Ottappalam, Dinesh Arora, today issued orders regulating soil extraction in designated sites using excavators and similar machines.

The order prohibits any kind of soil extraction in hills. Use of JCBs for filling agriculture land without permission (read as KLU order) from the Sub-Collector is prohibited. Any violation of the relevant provisions will entail to confiscation of the machine, imposition of fines and in some cases arrest of the JCB owner.

The order also prohibits any kind of temporary removal of mud from roads, canals and bridges and for cable work. Such work can be undertaken only after getting permission from the Sub-Collector's office.

The District Collector, K. Ajayakumar, had issued prohibitory orders on unauthorised extraction of soil using excavator, JCB and other machines throughout the district earlier.

According to the order, applications for extraction of soil from land are received and processed by village officers and permission given as `soil pass' based on the merit of the case.

The order said that prior sanction of the tahsildar is required for using a JCB for removing soil from holdings more than 50 cents. For removing soil from lands above one acre, the permission of the Geology Department is to be obtained.

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