The residents of Kunduthodu and Vattippana in Kavilumpara panchayat in the district have been living in fear for years. There are allegations that a granite quarry at Vattippana poses risk to the lives of the residents of the hillside locality.

With the onset of the monsoon, the fear has turned into panic, leading to a revival of protests against the quarry despite a Kerala High Court order in support of the latter.

“The people are scared and their fear is legitimate. If there is a landslip, the Kunduthodu town will be no more,” says panchayat member Joseph Kanjirathinkal.

The quarry in question is located in around 50 acres of land at Vattippana, on the slope of a mountain part of the Western Ghats, at a height of 2,000 feet above sea level.

Locals have been protesting against the presence of the quarry for years, and the panchayat took up their fight. “We had refused to renew the licence of the quarry. But the court order was against us and we had to grant licence to the quarry,” says panchayat president Annamma George.

With the beginning of the rains, the residents are once again in protest mode. “There were many protests on and off. Some protesters were bought off by the quarry owners,” says Mr. Kanjirathinkal. The locals are now trying to garner support through social media and several people have expressed solidarity.