Excessive soil-mining is being undertaken at Thiruvallam by misusing a government order that relaxes the restriction on soil-mining for the construction of houses.
The order, issued by the Environment Department in November 2014, makes permission unnecessary for individuals to mine red earth for the purpose of constructing houses, except flats. A request submitted by the individual to the village officer and a certificate issued by the official would suffice in such cases. While the order had been issued to overcome hassles in genuine cases, it has also paved the way for the possibility of misuse. Local people say that soil is being mined indiscriminately in the region under the guise of constructing houses.
It was only recently that the Mining and Geology Department provided sanction for excavating 300 tonnes of red earth on the basis of a building permit issued by the Corporation for constructing a house at Thiruvallam.
“Norms imposed following years of collective movements and struggles are being bypassed. What hope do we have against the powerful lobbies,” a worried resident asked.
