Six months after drone survey, no action has been taken on quarries in Madurai yet
MADURAI: Residents of Katchaikatti in Vadipatti taluk say the district administration is yet to take action against stone quarries that have violated norms even though a drone survey was conducted six months ago.
For the last 22 years, several quarries are functioning in Katchaikatti panchayat, which is located 46 km from Madurai city. The residents have submitted petitions to the district collector, and Chief Minister's Cell, complaining about noise and air pollution caused by the quarries. TNIE has published several reports regarding the issue.
In January this year, officials from the department of mines and geology conducted a field inspection and a drone survey. Sources said the report has been forwarded to revenue department, based on which two quarries were sealed in March, allegedly for mining beyond permissible limit and functioning even after the licence expired. Also, the district administration has stopped issuing fresh quarry licence in the region.
The residents, however, demand that the district administration must take action against all quarries, based on the drone survey and field inspection. Speaking to TNIE, environment activist M Gnanasekar said, "Heavy vehicles carrying boulders and gravel ply across the village. The dust from vehicle movement and crusher plant constantly creates eye irritation and leaves fine layer on faces. Several people are facing respiratory issues, skin diseases and renal ailments."
He further said quarries have been allowed as close as 300 m from residential areas and that quarry owners have converted a water stream into a pathway. These are violations as per the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959. "I filed RTI petition seeking the drone survey report, but it was denied. I filed second appeal, till now the Public Information Officer(PIO) of the Geology and Mining has not furnished the report," he added.
On request of anonymity, an official from the district administration said, "Officials are working based on the drone survey report as well as the physical inspection. Soon, action will be taken against the quarries that have violated rules."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Mangaluru and Karipur air crash survivors recount horrors of near death
KOZHIKODE: The rain had just begun to fall lightly that morning in May 2010 as Flight IX-812 descended towards Mangalore airport. For the 166 people on board, home was just minutes away. But within seconds, that hopeful descent turned into catastrophe -- a misjudged landing, a fuselage torn apart, fire, screams, and chaos. Fifteen years have passed. For some, time has dulled the pain; for others, memories are etched as deep as the burning metal of that ill-fated aircraft. Survivors of the Mangaluru and Kozhikode air crashes carry not just scars on their bodies but grief in their hearts. These are not just disaster statistics. These are men and women who lived to tell stories of survival, pain and betrayal. A morning that changed everything On May 22, 2010, Air India Express Flight IX-812 from Dubai overshot the tabletop runway at Mangalore airport. It crashed into a valley and burst into flames. 158 people perished. Only eight survived. Uduma native Krishnan Koolikunnu, was one of them. Now 62, he runs a small grocery shop in his village in Kasaragod. 'At that moment, I thought it was the end. I saw my children's faces flash before me,' he says. 'I felt something was off just before landing. The plane was too fast. Then came the screech, a sound like metal scraping over rocks. It all went dark.' He remembers a small crack in the plane's body, his gateway to life. 'I pulled off the seatbelt and crawled through that gap. Outside, it was forest and fog. I ran and I didn't even know what I was running from.' Krishnan was joined in survival by K P Mayankutty, another survivor and a native of Kannur district. His seat, 22F, is etched in his memory. 'All survivors were seated on the same side. I saw the fireball coming. I heard children screaming for their parents,' Mayankutty said during a conversation with TNIE. 'That sound still wakes me up.'
New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
Ahmedabad air crash: India's top aviation safety expert on what went wrong
The tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 on the afternoon of June 12, shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London, snuffed out valuable lives and has raised urgent questions about what went wrong. TNIE's S. Lalitha speaks to aviation expert Capt Mohan Ranganathan to know what went wrong.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Six months after drone survey, no action has been taken on quarries in Madurai yet
MADURAI: Residents of Katchaikatti in Vadipatti taluk say the district administration is yet to take action against stone quarries that have violated norms even though a drone survey was conducted six months ago. For the last 22 years, several quarries are functioning in Katchaikatti panchayat, which is located 46 km from Madurai city. The residents have submitted petitions to the district collector, and Chief Minister's Cell, complaining about noise and air pollution caused by the quarries. TNIE has published several reports regarding the issue. In January this year, officials from the department of mines and geology conducted a field inspection and a drone survey. Sources said the report has been forwarded to revenue department, based on which two quarries were sealed in March, allegedly for mining beyond permissible limit and functioning even after the licence expired. Also, the district administration has stopped issuing fresh quarry licence in the region. The residents, however, demand that the district administration must take action against all quarries, based on the drone survey and field inspection. Speaking to TNIE, environment activist M Gnanasekar said, "Heavy vehicles carrying boulders and gravel ply across the village. The dust from vehicle movement and crusher plant constantly creates eye irritation and leaves fine layer on faces. Several people are facing respiratory issues, skin diseases and renal ailments." He further said quarries have been allowed as close as 300 m from residential areas and that quarry owners have converted a water stream into a pathway. These are violations as per the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959. "I filed RTI petition seeking the drone survey report, but it was denied. I filed second appeal, till now the Public Information Officer(PIO) of the Geology and Mining has not furnished the report," he added. On request of anonymity, an official from the district administration said, "Officials are working based on the drone survey report as well as the physical inspection. Soon, action will be taken against the quarries that have violated rules."
