The High Court on Thursday suspended the Thiruvananthapuram District Collector’s order prohibiting quarrying operations at Mookkunnimala at Neyyattinkara in the district.
Justice P. Ubaid, while issuing the interim order, expressed his displeasure over the failure of the Collector to file a statement in response to a petition filed by Metro Aggregates and Sand India Private Ltd. challenging his order.
The court had given repeated directives to file a statement explaining under what authority he had passed the order.
The court made it clear that the firm could carry out quarrying operations subject to the D and O (dangerous and offensive trade) licence, if any, issued by the local authority.
The firm contended that it was running the quarrying operations based on a quarry lease issued by the Director, Mining and Geology, and also on the strength of a quarrying lease executed with the government. They had the all licences required under the law. The petitioner submitted that the Collector had no authority to issue such an order. He issued the order on the basis of the Vigilance report that the company had managed to obtain the licences and permits by illegal and fraudulent means.
