Kannur | May 26, 2016: With the district administration permitting sand mining in Valappattanam River following a green tribunal verdict, the people at Pamburuthy are concerned that it would adversely affect the island.

The ban was lifted with effect from May 23 after the Chennai bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) rejected the plea of the environmentalists which demanded total ban on the sand mining from the 'kadavus' (the sand-mining locations) on the Valappattanam river.

According to environmentalists, tiny islands like Pamburuthy are on the verge of extinction and hence they wanted the ban on sand mining. It was a local club, C H Cultural Centre, along with Pamburuthy Island Protection Council, which approached the Green Tribunal seeking ban on sand mining raising the environmental issue. Though they got a verdict in their favour staying the sand mining in this river in February 2015, later the NGT ordered in May that the mining should be as per the clearance of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and other environmental clearance. However, when the miners allegedly started doing in-steam sand mining, the environmentalists approached the NGT again and following this the district administration banned mining. But, NGT again permitted mining subject to the provisions in the environmental clearance and permitted sand extraction in all the kadavus except Kummayakkadavu in the Narath panchayat and Mankadavu in the Pappinissery panchayat, rejecting the plea of the environmentalists.

District collector P Balakiran said mining has been resumed subject to the provisions in the environmental clearance and asked the secretaries of the local bodies to ensure that the sand miners comply with these provisions.

But though the permission is subject to the rules, the reality is that the mining is being carried out illegally, said the office-bearers of C H Cultural Centre, and they are planning to move the tribunal again with substantial evidence.

"They are planning to move an appeal because what is happening there is in-steam mining in the name of extracting sand above the water level," said Harish Vasudevan, counsel of the CH Cultural Centre.

If the district collector and other officials concerned fail to keep their promise and ensure the sand is extracted as per the rules stipulated by the Supreme Court and also the NGT, criminal case would be filed against them, he said, adding that what is happening is the blatant violation of the rules.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)