KOCHI | Oct 01, 2015: Reiterating that Environmental Clearance is needed for grant of lease/permit for quarrying and mining, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday observed that environmental protection cannot be sacrificed in the name of development.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A M Shaffique held that it was the objective of the State Government to protect natural resources.
“Natural resources cannot be allowed to be overexploited, flouting the regulatory regime imposed by various statute,” observed the Bench.
The court issued the order on a petition seeking a directive to stop the illegal mining being carried out in the Mambra area. The petitioner submitted that quarrying operations were being done without valid permit. “Mambra, in the Puthukadavu panchayat, is a thickly populated area where rampant illegal mining has been reported for many years. The huge pits, of about 500 feet depth without benches, created by the miners pose a threat to human life,” submitted the petitioners. The State Government submitted that if environmental clearance was made mandatory for all quarrying activities, it would affect the State’s developmental activities. “Currently, there are more than 2,000 quarries functioning in the area, which are required to submit the mining plan. A total stoppage due to want of mining plan would bring the entire quarrying operations to a standstill, derailing the ongoing developmental projects,” it was submitted.
(Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/)