Date | June 07, 2017:

A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court Bench here seeking a direction to Ramanathapuram Collector to cancel all licences granted for quarrying sand in and around Kudiyiruppu, Ariyankundu and Sandhiyanagar villages under Thangachimadam panchayat union in Rameswaram taluk.

B. Govindaraj, president of Kudiyiruppu village panchayat, had filed the petition alleging that the licences had been granted in gross violation of the rules despite the entire Rameswaram island falling under Coastal Regulatory Zone and his panchayat having passed a resolution on May 1 against permitting sand quarries.

Stating that almost all families in the three coastal villages were dependant on either fishing or agriculture for their livelihood, the petitioner said that several naturally formed sand dunes on the seashore protected the inhabitants from intrusion of seawater into the villages, besides assisting in augmentation of groundwater table.

“Though these villages are situated on the seashore, they get good potable drinking water from the ground which is possible because of the sand dunes. These sand dunes are situated in government as well as private lands and act as a natural barrier,” the petitioner said, and pointed out that illegal mining of the dunes was prevalent for a long time.

Claiming that such illegal mining from private lands was stopped only after several protests were staged by the locals, Mr. Govindaraj said that the villagers were shocked to know that the district administration itself had given permission recently to some individuals to quarry sand from areas in and around the three villages.

When the case came up for hearing before a Division Bench of Justices A. Selvam and N. Authinathan on Wednesday, S. Muruganantham of Rameswaram, who had been granted permission to quarry sediment soil from 1.38 hectares at Ariyankundu, filed a sub-application to include him too as one of the respondents to the case.

After allowing his application, the judges adjourned the hearing as the Special Government Pleader sought time to produce documents to prove that permission had been granted only after following all statutory requirements and obtaining necessary clearance from State-Level Impact Assessment Authority.

(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)