Contradictory reports submitted by the District Collector and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) on a complaint against a quarry have prompted the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to order a detailed investigation.
The petitioner, Sreejith of Anavoor, Neyyatinkara, had complained to the commission that his house was heavily damaged due to the impact of rocks blasting in a nearby quarry.
When the commission sought reports from the PCB and the District Collector, the PCB gave a clean chit to the company carrying out the quarrying operations saying that it was operating in accordance with the PCB guidelines.
On the other hand, the District Collector reported that the petitioner’s house had sustained damage and that the people in the neighbourhood faced hardships due to the dust from the quarrying operation.
Given this situation, commission chairman Antony Dominic ordered the District Environmental Engineer of the PCB to submit a fresh report after visiting the quarry and interacting with the local people. The district officer of the Department of Mining and Geology has been directed to examine whether the quarry operations had caused the damage to Mr. Sreejith’s house.
The commission has also directed the owner of the company to appear before it when the case is next heard on February 22.
