Residents besiege stone quarries near Kottampatti; operations temporarily suspended

Residents of five villages—Valaicheripatti, Velayuthampatti, Valaiyankulathupatti, Thonthilingapuram, and Sokkampatti—near Kottampatti in Madurai district staged a protest here on Tuesday by besieging two stone quarries, which operate side by side across an area of about 10 acres near Sokkampatti.

The protesters stated that agriculture in the surrounding areas had been adversely affected by these quarries.

Groundwater, which was previously available at a depth of 30 feet, has now plummeted below 300 feet, forcing farmers to abandon agriculture and take up daily wage labour, said an activist Selvaraj.

He added that the residents were concerned that officials turned a blind eye while daily blasting was carried out around 4 p.m. after blocking road traffic, with explosives frequently landing in residential areas and agricultural lands.

Regulations dictated that permission should not be granted for a stone quarry if there is a temple, house, or reserved forest within 300 meters, or an electricity pole or panchayat road within 50 metres, he pointed out.

However, Mr. Selvaraj noted that the two quarries were located just 30 metres from an Ayyanar temple, 40 metres from a Cauvery joint drinking water pipeline, and 100 metres from protected forest areas.

Rules stated that stone quarries must be located at a distance of at least 500 metres from petrol pipelines.

However, both a petrol pipeline laid in 2005 and a gas pipeline laid in 2020 are situated within 300 metres here, which is a complete violation of legal norms, he noted.

Also, he alleged that the quarries had been excavating beyond the permitted limits and dumping quarry waste onto patta lands, destroying the area.

Additionally, quarry proprietors allegedly coerced local agriculturalists and livestock rearers into vacating their properties, subsequently taking over the land for quarrying activities.

The public raised the question of why, despite a legislator speaking in the Assembly about mountains disappearing, the disappearance of the Aylaa Hill in Sokkampatti was left out.

A resolution opposing these stone quarries was passed during the Gandhi Jayanti gram sabha in Valaicheripatti on October 2, and a petition had also been submitted to the District Collector.

It is also noteworthy that during a public hearing held two years ago on January 23, 2024, headed by Revenue Divisional Officer Jayanthi to seek permission for this quarry, the public and environmental activists strongly registered their opposition, emphasising that permission should not be granted as the quarry violates legal rules.

Following talks held with the public, the Zonal Deputy Tahsildar received the petition of demands and gave an assurance that the stone quarries would be temporarily shut down. Following the assurances, all stone quarrying operations have been completely suspended, said officials.