The Madurai Collector will appeal against the High Court’s order quashing the district administration’s directive to take over 24,750 granite stones kept without authorisation on government poromoboke land, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said on Saturday.
On November 5, the court issued the order on six writ petitions against the directive.
Likewise, in September last, the High Court dismissed 57 cases, lifting the stay secured by the owners of quarry companies on the show cause notice issued by the Collector in January 2013 on the payment of Rs. 13,748 crore by 83 private firms towards irregular quarrying of granite stones. The valuation was made on the basis of the market value of the stones, the Chief Minister said. Five more cases were still pending.
Mr. Panneerselvam said the functioning of 175 granite quarries in Madurai district was scrutinised, and irregularities were spotted in 84 of them. While the licences of 77 quarries were suspended, six other quarries were covered by the High Court orders, and the licence of one company was cancelled. Through 57 petitions, the owners of the quarries secured a stay on the suspension of the licences. All the cases had been clubbed, and were pending before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
The Chief Minister said 90 FIRs were filed against those who indulged in irregularities. The Madurai Bench granted a stay on 24 FIRs, and the government approached the court against the order.
Responding to DMK president M. Karunanidhi’s remarks, Mr. Panneerselvam argued that no action was taken by the previous DMK regime, and all the steps were taken when Jayalalithaa was the Chief Minister.
