The 41-day agitation by the villagers of Chembanmudy, Pathanamthitta’s tallest hill located in Naranamoozhy grama panchayat in Ranni taluk, entered a new phase with as many as 200 people, including women and children, taking out a protest march to the collectorate on Tuesday.
The villagers, under the auspices of the Chembanmudy Protection Council, crossed 40 km on foot to reach the district headquarters all the way from Naranamoozhy in the afternoon.
The villagers re-launched their struggle in June to protect Chembanmudy, that stands 3,825 metres above the mean sea level, with the grama panchayat granting clearance for granite quarrying.
Pure air and water
Addressing the march, Fr Thomas Peeliyanickal, Kuttanad Development Council chairman, said the panchayat was bound to provide pure air and water to the people and the villagers of Chembanmudy have taken out a march to the district headquarters when they were denied these.
The indiscriminate quarrying of granite by two quarry operators, from the environmentally fragile hilly tracts that comes under Zone-1 as per the Madhav Gadgil Committee report, for more than a decade has already done huge damage to the environment, he said.
Fr Peeliyanickal said the panchayat should correct its mistakes and ensure that no more quarrying was permitted at Chembanmudy.
Addressing the dharna, C.R.Neelakantan, environmentalist, said the villagers have been waging a struggle for their very existence and the authorities should not turn a blind eye towards their genuine demands.
The unabated illegal operation of two giant granite quarries and crusher units came to a halt three years ago following strong public protests against it.
However, the grama panchayat granted licence for quarrying to a private unit at Chembanmudy two months ago.
Shaji Pathalil, action council leader, said the hazardous silica dust flying from the quarry was a major threat to public health in the locality. Many cases of cancer as well as skin and lung ailments were reported from the surrounding areas of Chembanoly and Vakamukku at Chembanmudy.
M.G.Kannan, District Panchayat member; Saji Kottaram, K.P.Sasikala, Rajan Neeramplackal, Thomas Alex, Kottangal Gopinatha Pillai, Santhosh Kalanjoor, and Avinash Mannady, all environmentalists, also spoke.
