The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Court declines to bar sand quarrying

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Court declines to bar sand quarrying

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has declined to restrain the authorities concerned from quarrying sand in Naiyadupakkam village in Kancheepuram district.

Disposing of a writ petition, the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice H.L. Gokhale and Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar, said the Collector ought to directly monitor the removal of sand.

Flora and fauna

J. Jayakumar of Kilpauk, who claimed to hail from the village, had sought to end unjustified removal of sand from the banks of the Cheyyar, contending it would affect flora and fauna of the area, besides causing serious degradation of ecology and impacting water supply.

The Bench said it had seen the files of the Collector, wherein it noticed that the Geological Department had given its report permitting removal of sand. The village panchayat had also passed a resolution recording ‘no objection.’ This was known to the petitioner. There were certain conditions imposed by the Collector while permitting sand removal, one of which was that quarrying should be, in any event, not beyond the depth of 0.90 metres.

The government pleader had submitted that the condition was being followed. The petitioner’s counsel submitted photographs, which showed that perhaps the excavation might be more than what was permitted.

The government submitted that the removal of sand was being done only by the PWD and not by any private party. The Bench said it was necessary from the point of view of environment that the particular condition be observed strictly.

“We expect the Collector to take necessary steps in this regard.” The Bench said it would be open for the petitioner or the aggrieved party also to lodge complaint to the Collector in case in future he got information that excavation was more than what had been permitted.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu