Residents of Pamburuthi island in Kolachary panchayat here are on the warpath against the district administration alleging that inaction against illegal sand-mining in the area amounts to subverting the order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). An action committee of the local residents staged a march to Kummayakkadavu, a sand-mining spot in the island, to protest against the district administration’s alleged attempt to thwart the NGT order.
The Chennai-based South Zone bench of the NGT in its order dated February 13 directed the District Collector to ban illegal sand-mining in the mining centres around the island located in the Valapattanam river.
Action committee representative M. Sahad said that District Collector P. Bala Kiran in his affidavit submitted to the tribunal had admitted that unauthorised sand-mining continued in the sand-mining points in areas surrounding the island.
The affidavit also admitted that no environmental impact assessment had been conducted.
According to the action committee, following the NGT order, the Collector had directed secretaries of Chirakkal, Valapattanam, Pappinissery, Kolachary and Narath Panchayats and Taliparamba municipality to ban sand-mining within 200 metres from Pamburuthi island.
The action committee also argued that the Collector misinterpreted the NGT order by limiting the ban area to 200 metres around the island. As all the mining spots in the Valapattanam river around the island and two nearby islets are beyond the 200 m mark, the Collector’s direction would not lead to the ban on illegal sand-mining in the areas, the committee activists said.
The Pamburuthi Island Protection Council, the action committee of local residents, has already served a legal notice on the Collector. The notice warned of contempt of court proceedings against the Collector if the NGT order was not implemented.
