Madurai MP, Su. Venkatesan, has sought Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin’s intervention to ensure the uninterrupted supply of soil (earth) for the timely completion of various railway projects as they are held up due to a delay in granting permission for soil quarrying.
In a memorandum, Mr. Venkatesan said that the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has issued direction to District Collectors to ascertain the composition of minerals in the soil by sending it to a lab determined by the respective department. Though the order was issued in February 2021, District Collectors claimed that the State government has to issue necessary direction on the issue.
As a result, the doubling projects like Madurai-Thoothukudi; Vanchi Maniyachi-Nagercoil and Virudhunagar-Vanchi Maniyachi junction were getting delayed. Besides, the Peralam-Karaikal new rail project, and gauge conversion of Thiruthuraipundi-Agasthiyampalli and Madurai-Bodinayakanur and the Pattukottai goods platform work were also held up due to lack of soil.
The Collectors of Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Theni, Thanjavur, Nagapatinam and Tiruvarur were waiting for the State government’s direction on determining a lab for soil testing to permit quarrying.
Therefore, he urged the Chief Minister to issue necessary directors to the Collectors on deciding on a lab where the soil could be tested.
