Hoisting black flags atop their dwellings, hundreds of villagers resorted to a silent demonstration on Deepavali day demanding the district administration to close down a private stone quarry in Sengulam near Natham.
The villagers said that they had submitted petitions to Natham Tahsildar and also to the District Collector during weekly grievance meetings on more than three occasions. The prayer was to close down a private stone quarry in their locality.
They claimed that cultivable land in the village, especially, those situated close to the quarry were covered with sheets of dust that emanated from the quarry. Children in the dwellings too developed respiratory related ailments. Weak building structures at Sengulam and surrounding hamlets posed a threat whenever the workers used explosives at the quarry.
Moreover, as the quarry functioned almost round-the-clock with trucks moving the stones to different locations, the villagers said that they faced threat from the speeding lorries.
Apart from the public, members of Naam Tamilar Katchi also joined in the demonstration. They threatened to resort to a road blockade agitation and refused to take down the black flags hoisted on their dwellings.
A senior official in the revenue department said that licence to the quarry was issued as per the norms and through tender process. However, the decision to close down or suspend the quarry operation can only be taken by higher authorities, he added.
