Kerala - Kochi   

Writ plea against allotment of `kadavus' admitted

Staff Reporter

Plea to restrain State Government form allotting `kadavus' near irrigation projects

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has admitted a writ petition challenging the allotment of 13 `kadavus' in Okkal grama panchayat in the district for sand-mining. The petition was filed by Nishad.

The petition also sought to restrain the State Government from allotting any `kadavus' within 500 metres from the irrigation works as defined in the Travancore-Cochin Irrigation Act, 1956.

According to the petitioner, sand-mining activities were being carried out on the banks of the panchayat. This caused environmental degradation. The petitioner pointed out that the Assembly had enacted the Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act, 2001. The District Expert Committee had to fix the quantity of sand that could be removed from a `kadavu,' giving due regard to the guidelines of expert agencies such as the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) and Centre for Water Resource Development and Management. CESS had prepared a report in respect of Periyar river during April 2004. According to the petitioner the committee had allowed sand mining in 14 `kadavus' in violation of the CESS report. of mines and minerals was the subject matter of the Union Government.

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