Close Sivarakottai kanmai sand quarry for illegal extraction: Forum

Madurai: The Tamil Nadu Science Forum Research Committee has appealed to the authorities to close the Sivarakottai kanmai sand quarry immediately, claiming that the work being carried out currently was illegal, and asked the authorities to rectify the damage caused and restore the water resources.On Jan 9, Madurai district collector issued an operational order to extract soil from the kanmai for the construction of the national highway from Madurai to Kayathar. The order granted permission to a private company to extract 10,000 cubic metres of soil from the tank over three months, across 100m in length, 100m in width, and 1m in depth. Since then, locals have been protesting and reported that the rules set out in the district collector's operational order were not being fully followed.The movement's investigation found evidence that instead of digging to a depth of 1m (3.3 feet), soil was extracted up to about 30 feet. It also found evidence that although permission was given to extract soil from 8am to 5pm, extraction occurred from 5am until night. Despite the deadline to extract soil within three months from Jan 9, extraction was still ongoing. Committee chairman P Rajamanickam added that an undated letter from the water resources department's assistant engineer to the deputy director of geology and mining, stating that suitable soil was found only after digging beyond 13 feet, also raised the suspicions of the committee and the local people. "The letter acknowledged that digging up to one metre did not yield the required soil for the road," Rajamanickam said, adding that the genuineness of the letter was in question.Madurai district collector K J Praveen Kumar told the committee that the matter would be investigated closely, and any illegal mining activities would be stopped.