Akin to TASMAC, quarry mining should be made public entity, say activists
Demanding that the State government make stone quarries public entity, activists submitted a petition with Collector M.S. Sangeetha here on Monday.
As natural resources such as stone, sand and granite should be preserved and safeguarded from being overused, several governments across the world were imposing rigid restrictions on mining projects, said Selvaraj, a social activist based in Madurai.
'In Tamil Nadu, though several previous governments and the present government have tried to curb over mining of resources, the rules are being flouted due to political influences,' he added.
When the government was unable to control private players who exploited the resources, why should it not make quarrying a public entity, he said.
Akin to TASMAC, if mining was controlled by the government, the State could earn revenue and also control the exploitation of natural resources. Similar to what the Tamil Nadu government did from 2018 to 2022, a Government Order should be issued again to procure 15 lakh tonnes of natural river sand from foreign countries, said Mugilan, an environmental activist.
'When the need for sand is fulfilled through imports, the rampant illegal sand mining can be controlled,' he added.
Again, similar to how the Andhra Pradesh and Kerala governments had implemented a digital system to measure minerals quarried from the sites, the Tamil Nadu government should also be tough in implementing digital billing in the State, Mr. Mugilan said.
'As handwritten receipts measured in cubic metres are used by the quarry owners for forging, it has caused a huge loss to the government exchequer,' he observed.
Without heeding to the quarry operators' protests, the digital billing system should be immediately introduced. To control illegal mining and overuse of the quarries, the government should also take a survey of the closed quarries using drones. Those identified to be operating beyond their licence period should be punished according to the Tamil Nadu Minor Minerals Concession Rules, 1959.
Further, he asked for installation of CCTVs around stone quarries. As installation of CCTVs around sand quarries had been mandated by the High Court, setting of cameras around stone quarries should also be mandated.
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