No licence for granite crusher unit: RDO

Officer inspects biodiversity-rich Ponmala hill in Thottapuzhasserry panchayat

At the receiving end:An old woman complaining of the threat posed by the granite quarry at Ponmala in Pathanamthitta district to Thiruvalla RDOA. Gopakumar during his recent visit to the area.

The controversy over indiscriminate quarrying of granite at the biodiversity-rich Ponmala hill in Thottapuzhasserry panchayat took a new turn with the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) finding fault with the quarry operators installing a modern granite crusher unit at the quarry without obtaining the mandatory certificates from the panchayat, Pollution Control Board, and the Health Department.

Talking to The Hindu , RDO A. Gopakumar said the quarry owner had a total of 1.64 ha of land in his possession and this included the 1.40-acre puromboke land assigned to him in 1999. He said the assignment was made on the basis of a report submitted by the tahsildar following a complaint filed by the quarry owner, pointing out certain discrepancies in the resurvey process. Ironically, the file pertaining to the land assignment and mutation of land was destroyed on March 23, 2005, for reasons best known to the authorities concerned.

Closure sought

Meanwhile, the local people under the aegis of the Ponmala Nature Protection Council (PNPC) chaired by Annie Achenkunju, panchayat member, has approached District Collector S. Harikishore demanding immediate closure of the quarry that has been posing a serious threat to the environment, public health, and a four-decade-old temple atop the hill.

The RDO inspected the site recently on the directions of the Collector.

Mr. Gopakumar said the quarry dust was a major source of pollution and the quarry owner should address the problem by installing adequate sprinklers and other scientific measures. He also detected security lapse at the quarry as the licencee had failed in fencing of its borders properly.

Survey

The RDO said a detailed survey of the land would be carried out by the taluk surveyor to demarcate the puromboke land in the wake the allegation that the quarry owner had encroached upon the land for granite quarrying.

He directed that the top layer of earth removed from the hill for granite quarrying should not be transported from the quarry premises as it was against the guidelines prescribed by the Mining and Geology Department.

For 12 years

Mr. Gopakumar said the Department had given conditional permission (lease) for granite quarrying from the 1.64 ha land at Ponamala for 12 years (till 2024).

However, the RDO’s remark that the revenue records had no mention of a temple on Ponmala has evoked strong protests from the local people. The villagers alleged that the heavy blasting of the rock, in violation of the guidelines and rules, had already damaged the walls of the small shrine as well as houses in the vicinity of the quarry.

The RDO said he would be filing a detailed report to the Collector soon.