Villagers oppose license given for stone quarrying near their hamlet, cultivable lands

The Hindu

5 days ago

Opposing the license given for stone quarrying within two-km from their area, a group of villagers from Thathanoothu near here submitted petition to District Collector R. Sukumar on Monday.
The petitioners from Thaathanooththu near here on Tirunelveli – Madurai Highway said their hamlet with over 300 Scheduled Caste families were relying upon farming and cattle rearing, while a few more women from landless families were being hired under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme and as farmhands.
However, the Department of Mines had given license for mining stones from the place close to the cultivable lands of Thaathanooththu village. The explosives being used in an uncontrolled manner in the quarry have robbed off tranquillity of the village. Besides decimating farming operations of the agriculturists raising vegetables and cotton in their fields with unseasonal rain and well water, the stone quarry had permanently ended peaceful living in the village.
'Without eliciting the opinion of the public, the officials have given license to the stone quarry for reasons best known to everyone, as we all know how powerful the quarry owners are. As per the existing law, quarrying license can be given if the quarrying site is located 300 meters away from human habitations. Moreover, the norm of the Department of Mines also allows the giving of license for quarrying in a spot just 7.50 meters away from a patta land. So, both the norms should be scrapped as these regulations will kill farming and the villages located nearby. Hence, the license given for quarrying near Thaathanooththu should be cancelled, and the existing norms paving way for issue of license for quarrying near villages should be scrapped permanently or at least modified,' said V. Sudalaimani, who led the villagers.
Members of the Coordination Committee of Tamil Nadu All Farmers' Associations submitted a petition against the Centre's recent decision to modify the norms pertaining to gold loans. The petitioners, led by D. Abraham, Tirunelveli district president of the Association, said the agriculturists, who had already been hit hard by vagaries of nature, were unable to repay their gold loan and redeem the gold pledged for raising the loans.
The recently announced modifications in the norms for raising gold loans would land the farmers in debt trap, and hence, these unrealistic modifications should be withdrawn permanently, said the farmers.
On behalf of the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, the party's ward seven secretary A. Mano Stanly submitted a petition seeking action to check the anti-social activities happening in the anganwadi at Manakavalam Pillai Nagar after dusk. Since the rowdies gathering there consume liquor at night, the liquor bottles broken there by them would pose serious threat to the children coming to the anganwadi the next day.
Hence, the officials concerned should take immediate steps to keep the rowdies away from the angavadis by constructing compound wall, he said.