A farmer from Tiruppur district ended his 10-day hunger strike after the District Collector on Thursday withheld temporarily the licence of a stone quarry near Palladam.
P. Vijayakumar of Ichipatti staged the protest against a quarry that functioned at Kodangipalayam village. A few other organisations and activists had also been demanding closure of illegally operating quarries in Palladam taluk.
Mr. Vijayakumar started his hunger strike from August 30 alleging depletion of groundwater level in his farmland due to the functioning of a blue metal quarry nearby.
Revenue Department sources said District Collector S. Vineeth issued an order, effecting temporary withholding of the licence of Ezhil Blue Metals quarry spread over 3.83 hectares at Kodangipalayam. District Revenue Officer T.P. Jai Beam convened a peace talk and said that the licence of the quarry was withheld temporarily.
With regard to the functioning of S.G. Blue Metals quarry, which is spread over 1.81 hectares at Ottan Thottam, the Collector tasked Palladam tahsildar to submit a report on Saturday, based on which an appropriate decision would be taken, said Revenue Department sources. Like Vijayakumar, another farmer, Senthilkumar, had launched a hunger strike against the quarry which entered the third day on Thursday.
