A special squad constituted by the Revenue Department has resumed flash inspections to track illegal quarrying, filling of wetland, and soil mining in Thamarassery taluk.
The move comes in the wake of the rising number of complaints from environmental activists, who have been up in arms against the alleged nexus between large-scale quarry operators and influential politicians.
Many vehicles, including trucks, earth movers, and compressors, used in granite quarries were recently impounded as part of the continuing legal action. The seized vehicles were taken to the Thamarassery taluk office on Wednesday despite resistance from owners. They will be released only on payment of fine for compounding the offence.
Revenue officials said they had shut down an unlicensed quarry near the Vanaparvam biodiversity park at Kakkavayal in Puthuppady village. Besides taking legal action against the quarry owners, heavy machines used for breaking granite were impounded, they added.
Meanwhile, local environmental activists alleged that the Geology department had failed to report the damage caused by illegal quarries. According to them, a number of houses near such a quarry had developed cracks, and the matter was casually handled by Geology department officials.
“A report submitted by the Geology department to the Human Rights Commission on the impact of quarrying at Kolamala in Thamarassery was a surprise to many, thanks to strange findings. According to the report, it was not the impact of quarrying but the poor quality of construction that resulted in cracks on the walls,” said an activist. He pointed out that the report came at a time when local residents were fighting for justice.
Sources in the department said the report was forwarded to the rights panel with accurate facts and figures on the basis of field-level inspections. The authenticity of the findings could be verified by the higher authorities through re-inspection, they added.
