Residents of Sokkampatti in Melur taluk opposing the operation of a stone quarry in their area submitted a petition to District Collector M. S. Sangeetha during the weekly grievance meeting here on Monday.
They alleged that the quarries were being mined more than the permitted level using powerful detonators. This, in turn, affects the ground water level and damages the houses and temples constructed nearby, they said.
Further, the quarry is in close vicinity to Hindu temples, Indian Oil Corporation’s underground pipes carrying petrol, farmlands and the Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai highway. Not only was this is dangerous, but also against the Act which mandates operation of quarries 300 metres away from housing plots, buildings and houses.
The stones that shatter during the blast damage the temples, farms and animals in the forests nearby. Due to this many animals have even migrated from their location, the petitioners alleged.
As the permission to mine stones from the quarry ends by February 20, 2024, the villages requested the Collector to revoke the call for new tenders for the quarry.
