Kerala - Kochi   

Illegal quarries: protest mounting

KOCHI: Public protest against illegal quarries in Angamaly and nearby areas is building up, with residents joining hands to fight the menace.

Hundreds in Illithodu, Mulamkuzhi, Kannimangalam and Ayampuzha have demanded a halt to blasting activities at various quarries. Unchecked blasting had damaged houses and crops in the region forcing the residents to launch an indefinite agitation against illegal quarrying in the region. An emergency meeting of the Illithodu grama sabha had decided to cancel the licence of 10 quarries in its 6th and 7th wards.

Elaborating on the illegal activities in the area, Francis Njaliyan, member of the people’s action council, said about 2,000 families in the two wards had been affected by illegal quarrying.

Residents said blasting was done during the night hours. Granite pieces from the blast had damaged several houses in the region, Mr. Njliyan said.

Action council representatives said powerful dynamites were being used. Tipper lorries transporting the material has also been causing hardships. Air and noise pollution has increased, he said.

Jabar Mather, environmentalist, said Revenue officials had turned a deaf ear to the concerns raised by the residents. He said quarry owners were using goondas to silence the growing protests in the region. On Wednesday, people in Naduvattam had stopped vehicles transporting material from the quarries as part of their ongoing agitation. But a group of armed goondas forcibly removed the protesting residents.

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