Abandoned quarry sites, wells, water bodies to be fenced to prevent another tragic accident

The Hindu

25-05-2025

MADURAI
The recent accident at Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district where a car plunged into a roadside well leading to the death of five people, including a toddler, has raised concerns about the safety of taluk and panchayat roads.
The accident led to Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam directing Collectors and Highway Department officials to conduct immediate inspections of roadside wells and hazardous road stretches across the State.
The direction to identify open wells, potholes, and other potentially dangerous areas along roads, according to road users, has come at a time when voices for fencing unused quarries in Madurai district too have been raising.
While Madurai district is covered by quarries, several of them have been abandoned long ago due to irregularities flagged by officials, or after expiry of licences.
One particular abandoned stone quarry on either side of the road leading to Masthanpatti from Vandiyur ring road junction in Madurai is to be fenced immediately to avoid any untoward incident.
While some of the places have elevated boundaries, the abandoned quarry sites along the roads at Masthanpatti situated en route Sakkimangalam lies on the road level without any protective boundaries.
The quarries which are about 30 feet deep from the road surface would be sufficient to create massive damage to the vehicle if any accidents are to happen in the future.
K. Manimohan, a former quarry worker residing nearby the quarry sites, says though no major accidents have taken place at the location, other than one or two minor accidents, the quarries ought to be fenced before any such accident takes place.
The road, which is used by thousands of people from more than 20 villages to reach ring road every day for their jobs, could end up dangerous anytime as the road is less than around 15 feet wide. At night, the stretch of road would be even more dangerous due to lack of streetlights and unfenced deep trenches, he adds.
As per Rule 32 of the Granite Conservation and Development Rules 1999, every lease holder shall undertake in a phased manner restoration, reclamation and rehabilitation of lands affected by prospecting of mining operations and shall complete the work before the conclusion of such operations and the abandonment of the granite quarry.
Also, as per the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959, the District Collector has an important role to constitute a committee under their chairmanship called as the Reclamation, Restoration and Rehabilitation Committee comprising District Collector (Chairperson), Assistant Director of Geology and Mining (Secretary), District Forest Officer, Executive Engineer, (Water Resources Department), District Environment Engineer, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board), Chief Executive Officer, District Disaster Management Authority) and the District Fire Officer.
But, as a known fact, most of the quarry sites in and around the district remain unfenced, unused and dangerous to the public.
M. Janaki, a villager, says they are vigilant while passing through the road. 'We are cautious while allowing our children to drive through the road as we never know what might happen if they even slip a bit on either side of the road.'
According to a revenue official, the place has remained unfenced for several years. 'We do not have plans to fence, but we will convey the issue to higher officials for action,' the official says.
Similarly, in an area called Panaikulam near Thiruvathavur in Melur block in the district, a vast area nearby the road which appears to be a pastureland on just a glance is a water body covered with water hyacinth and other plants.
'While the morning light could somewhat differentiate the road and the water body, night rides are tricky as even a slip from the road edge could put them in a nightmare,' says regular commuters.
Especially, when heavy vehicles tried to leave way for other vehicles they could very easily slip from the edge, they added.
In Thoothukudi district, where the tragic accident claimed five lives, several such unfenced open private wells can be seen while travelling through any highway or village roads.
In Thoothukudi taluk alone, about nine wells have been identified to be dangerous and left unfenced near important roads.
Residents of Kumaragiri village, where a private well is located nearby Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli National Highway, say such wells are common in the region surrounding the district. 'Most of them are privately owned and used for agricultural purposes and even for drinking water purposes.'
Asked why they have been left unfenced, they says the wells were initially near the agricultural land or their houses were far away from the road, but as the roads were expanded to build highways, the roads came closer to the wells.
'Since no one asked us, or we did not feel the need to fence it, we have left it open. Only the recent incident has caught the eyes of officials about the unsafe wells located along important roads,' they add.
Officials say Thoothukudi Collector K. Elambahavath has directed revenue officials to identify such open wells in their taluks and fence it, or create bunds to differentiate them from the adjacent roads.
Another similar well on Dindigul – Natham National Highway near Ponagaram, which too looks dangerous, has no warning boards or warning signs to inform commuters about its location.
Not just the vehicles but also pedestrians, who use the platform near the well could misplace their steps into the well anytime. As the wells usually would not be full to the brim and appears to be covered with grass due to growth of water plants, the danger of mistaking it for barren land is high, say nearby residents.
However, the residents are hopeful that the unused or under use wells would be covered by a fence or closed using iron grills after the State government has passed an order to inspect such precarious wells.
Though it cannot be permanently sealed, at least fencing it would prevent accidents caused by open wells and water bodies.