Even as hundreds of complaints pertaining to illicit mining of minerals and its illegal transportation to neighbouring Kerala are flooding the government offices right up to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell, Minister for Minerals and Natural Resources T.K. Prabhu inspected surprisingly the Puliyarai check-post on the district’s border with Kerala in the small hours of Monday.

Hours after the Minister’s inspection, District Collector A.K. Kamal Kishore suspended the operations of 18 of the 54 quarries in the district as the report submitted by the inspection teams reportedly found violations in these quarries.

The activists and the environmentalists are clamouring for proper investigatoion into the alleged illegal quarrying of minerals, mostly stones and unlawful transporting of it to neighbouring Kerala. Besides sending hundreds of complaints to the officials of various departments and to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell seeking immediate steps to check these crimes against nature, they have also filed cases in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court.

They were also organising agitations in Tenkasi district.

The heavy trucks are also damaging the rural roads and drinking water pipes. These trucks flying at lightning speed even cause fatal accidents as none could crack whip against these truck drivers.

Only after a Molotov cocktail attack on one of the truck drivers carrying minerals to Kerala, the police took action against the unlawfully overloaded trucks and rash driving along the rural roads got curtailed to some extent.

As these collective actions did not yield desirable results during the previous regime, the conservationists stage protests against this loot continues.

When Mr. Kamal Kishore formed teams on May 9 to inspect the 54 stone quarries in the district, the inspectors found violations in 18 quarries. Subsequently, the Collector on Monday evening suspended quarrying operations in these 18 mines even as comprehensive reports on nature and quantum of violations are awaited.

Even as the Collector is waiting for these comprehensive reports, Mr. Prabhu has visited surprisingly the Puliyarai check-post suggesting some serious action in store against the quarry owners for illegal mining and transporting of minerals. As all the vehicles carrying stones, M-sand, blue metal etc., all from the quarries in Tenkasi district, have to cross this check-post to reach Kerala, the minister inspected the check-post. He checked the records containing the details about the vehicles, nature and quantity of goods transported to Kerala, violation, if any etc.

There was no official statement on the Minister’s findings during his inspection.

Secretary of Tenkasi district ‘Iyarkai Vala Paathukaapu Sangam’ S. Jameen said the minister’s early morning inspection had led to the suspension of operation in 18 quarries against which the Sangam had already filed cases in Madurai Bench of Madras High Court.

“All the quarries in Tenkasi district should be surveyed scientifically using drones to ascertain the exact quantum of violations. Punitive measures should be taken against the violators who have looted the natural resources at will all these years,” said Mr. Jameen and former MLA K. Ravi Arunan, president of Tenkasi district ‘Iyarkai Vala Paathukaapu Sangam’ .