In a concerted operation, officials from the departments of Geology and Mining, and Revenue, backed by police, intercepted and detained 25 tipper lorries transporting gravel from quarries without following guidelines across the city during the intervening night between Friday and Saturday (June 27).

The crackdown to combat illegal mining, according to the officials, will be followed by closure of quarries wherever necessary. The seized tipper lorries with gravel loads were parked at police stations, and the drivers were questioned.

A senior official said action would be initiated as per Rule 36(A) of the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959, which warrants levy of environmental compensation for the excessively mined minerals, including the cost of restoration, in addition to penalty and royalty payable to the Department of Geology and Mining. Besides, seigniorage fee and the cost towards excessive gravel extraction would be collected from the offenders.

The authorities are determining whether the gravel had been mined from quarries after expiry of the lease period.

As per the rule, quarrying and transportation of any mineral beyond the lease period will be treated as “illicit quarrying and illicit transportation”, and the lessee is liable to be punished for the offence. The lessee is required to hand over possession of the leashold land to the Collector on the very next day after expiry of the lease period.

Possession of the leasehold area after expiry of the period of the lease or its premature termination or cancellation shall be deemed to be in unlawful possession, and the lessee will be liable for eviction from the leasehold area, after issuing show cause notice.