THIRUVANANTHAPURAM | Jul 30, 2015: Unauthorized mining continued defying all directives and norms at Mookkunimala on Wednesday, forcing the vigilance team to withdraw from the move to resume total station survey (TSS). The vigilance team arrived at Mookkunnimala on Wednesday morning along with officials from the department of survey and geology. However, not a single step could be initiated as mining went on unabated and it was decided that TSS could not be conducted while the quarrying was going on.
This is for the second time that the owners of quarries have managed to interrupt TSS which is crucial in providing the quantum of financial loss due to illegal mining at Mookkunnimala. Meanwhile, the vigilance has found out during the visit that a quarry company has encroached public road and that a crusher unit has come up again as an encroachment. Both reports have been sent to the vigilance SP for further action.
Sources said the vigilance team also didn't get the necessary cooperation from the local police. Had the police, who have drawn much flak for helping the quarry owners, taken the initiative, the vigilance could have resumed the survey.
In March, vigilance had to stop TSS as the quarry owners foiled the attempt by continuing heavy blasting sending off rock pieces all over eventually forcing the officials to leave without completing the survey. Although police was summoned to provide protection for the survey team, it proved ineffective.
The vigilance team has also learnt that the quarry owners are banking on a report filed by the village officer which says that there was no evidence to prove that quarrying happened on the land assigned for rubber cultivation. The village officer prepared this report overruling another report prepared by the deputy collector which had clearly pointed out that quarrying was carried out in assigned land and as per norms it was illegal.
Panchayat minister M K Muneer has stated in the assembly that the panchayat had cancelled license of quarries without valid permits. However, the vigilance team found out that none of the quarries have stopped functioning at Mookkunnimala despite the stop memo from department of geology.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)