Mookunnimala: reports yet to be finalised

The Neyyattinkara Tahalsidar is yet to file a detailed report, including a data bank, on the quarries and crusher units that are functioning in Mookunnimala even though the district administration had given time till April 25 to file the report.

District Collector Biju Prabhakar had on April 16 directed the Neyyattinkara tahsildar to create a data bank of quarry and crusher units at Mookkunnimala, including survey number of lands owned by the Fire and Rescue Services and Defence establishments in the hill.

Though the district administration has given strict directions that there should not be any delay in filing the data and report, it is ten days that the Taluk office is yet to gather all the data. When contacted, Tahalsidar Sam L Sone said that the data is only being collected. ''We are yet to collect and coordinate all the data. The work will be completed and mostly submitted by Tuesday,'' he said.

Apart from the data on total number of quarry and crusher units functioning in the region and also about the land of the Fire Force and Army, the district collector had also asked to furnish details of closed down quarries.

Meanwhile, Prabhakar said that they were for having a comprehensive data on all the land in that area. ''There are abandoned quarries of which data was not available. The entire area should be marked in Litho. It all will take some time,'' he said and added that the process was on.

Source: The New Indnian Express
http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/488448/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/28-04-2015#page/17/1

Mookunnimala: criminal proceedings likely in illegal mining

In the wake of illegal quarry activities continuing in  Mookunnimala even after a ban was imposed by the district administration, various departments have filed reports against the ongoing quarry activities in the hill. It is likely that criminal proceedings will be initiated

against quarry owners in the hill.

The officials of the Vigilance, Mining and Geology Department and Pallichal Village who visited Mookunnimala on Monday prepared a mahazar and report with regard to the ongoing illegal mining activities.

Though the Vigilance team led by Circle Inspector A Rabiyath visited the hill for resuming the Total Station Survey (TSS) that it began last month for assessing the actual quantum of loss incurred due to illegal quarrying activities, they could not continue as all the quarries and crusher units were functioning in the region.

Rabiyath will file a report along with the mahazars before the Superintendent regarding the present situation and the difficulties that they faced in conducting the TSS.  Pallichal Village officer Sivakumar said that he would file a report to the Neyyattinkara Tahalsidar regarding the present situation. ''There are complaints that quarry activities were going in the night. Already a stop memo has been issued to some of the quarries,'' he said. Moreover, the officials of the District Mining and Geology department , Thiruvananthapuram district, said

that a similar report will be filed before the Director.      

Source: the New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/455016/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/10-03-2015#page/19/1

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