SIVAGANGA
The residents of Kalloorani, situated about 15 km away from here, were up in arms against illegal sand quarrying by a contractor in gross violation of licence condition for removing ‘savadu’ sand (soil at the ground level) and alleged official apathy.
When a few lorries entered the village in August to remove ‘savadu’ sand with valid licence, the people of Kalloorani and four nearby villages engaged in agriculture never imagined that quarrying would be a big problem for them and deplete groundwater table.
The Assistant Director of Mines and Minerals had issued the licence to remove ‘savadu’ sand from August 24, 2017 to February 23, 2018 on the order of the then Collector S. Malarvizhi.
G. Muthusamy, the licence holder from Thirupuvanam, initially removed ‘savadu’ sand. Later, the contractor dug deep into the ground to find that the whole area was blessed with abundant fine quality sand and began misusing the licence to quarry sand illegally.
Soon hundreds of lorries swarmed the village and there was indiscriminate quarrying of sand. The villagers knocked the doors of the officials at all levels, up to the Collector, but could not stop the illegal quarrying.
The whole of the more than three-acre site had been dug for a depth of 20 feet for quarrying sand, said R. Thandiappan, a villager. “We are living in constant fear as those behind the illegal quarrying have deployed their henchmen at the site to ‘silence’ those who opposed their action, he said.
As the district administration failed to act despite repeated representations, the villagers proposed to seek legal remedy, he said.
N. Rajangam of Pacheri village and Samiraja of Kalloorani said the district administration and police turned a blind eye to the illegal sand quarrying as the licence holder was very close to a politician.
Collector G. Latha told the villagers that she would look into the issue and take necessary action.