Revenue squads led by senior officers have sprung into action to crack down on quarry operators who collude with tipper drivers to cart away quarry products beyond permitted limits to make a quick buck. Taluk-level squads led by tahsildars will conduct surprise inspections and instantly impound vehicles illegally used.
The District Collector and an Assistant Collector will also carry out independent surprise inspections to check violations. The first round of inspection conducted by the District Collector’s squad last Saturday impounded 17 trucks for flouting rules.
According to Revenue Department sources, attempts to violate mining rules were found to be on the rise since the local body elections were notified. Henceforth, vehicles carrying quarry materials would be checked at all possible points and suspicious vehicles would be instantly impounded, they said.
The Revenue Department action is also a follow-up to a special drive conducted by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) squad to expose truck drivers who colluded with quarry operators to transport excess quantity of crusher products in violation of Geology Department guidelines. In Kozhikode district, the drive had impounded 21 such trucks used to cart off excess quantities of stones from nine large-scale quarries.
VACB officials who took part in the flash checks said the impounded vehicles did not have operational permit or the required pass from the Geology Department. The trucks had also been found carrying crusher products beyond the permitted quantity and thus evading payment of ad valorem royalty to the government. The VACB report had also called for better vigil in the area and field-level action by the checking squads concerned.
Noticing the increasing instances of malpractices in the sector, a number of local action councils and collective of environmental activists had called for better vigil on the part of the Revenue, Geology and Local Self-Government departments. One of the main issues raised by them was the damage of renovated village roads due to the frequent plying of overloaded trucks. The Thamarassery Ghat Road was one of the most affected roads in the district.