Mookunnimala: Blasts again resounds

Mookunnimala , which was silent for the last some days, has once again started reverberating 

with the sounds of blasts from the quarries and crusher units with some of the quarries 

resuming activities in the wake of a High Court order. Moreover, the Vigilance that was to 

probe the quantum of loss incurred due to illegal quarrying activities has also backtracked 

from its investigation, stating inconvenience for Total Station Survey (TSS) due to quarry 

activities in the region. 

It was on February 9 that the district administration had banned all the quarry activities at 

Mookunnimala with the mining permits got by the quarry units expiring.  The District Collector had given strict instructions that licenses should only be given adhering to the Green Tribunal order, which observed that the Pollution Control Board should not issue licenses without the 

clearance of the Environment Impact Assessment Committee. 

With the resumption of quarry activities, the Mookunnimala Samrakshana Samithi, which is already in the agitation for complete stopping of all quarries, has decided to intensify the 

agitation in the coming days. They have decided to take out a protest march to the Mining and Geology Department on March 2.   

Stating that all quarry activities in the region were illegal, Samithi Joint Convenor Surendra 

Kumar alleged that the quarry owners who did not have any documents when the collector 

called for producing such papers have now told the court that they posses the necessary 

papers. He also asked from where these quarry owners had got the necessary papers now. 

Even the Panchayat Deputy Director's report had pointed out the closure of all the quarries in Mookunnimala. The report  had said that all the licenses and papers that the quarry owners 

were in possession were illegal, Surendra Kumar said. It should also be noted that the Green 

Tribunal had banned all quarry activities in the region  and had instructed the Pollution Control Board of not giving license for quarry activities in the region, he said.  

Source: the New Indian Express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/448724/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/28-02-2015#page/17/1