KOZHIKODE: While the state government is soft-pedaling procedures to demarcate the high-range zones falling in the Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Western Ghat region, it is money-making time for the quarrying groups that have expanded their operations to all granite rich panchayats situated in the lap of the Western Ghats in the district.
Huge trucks (tippers) with a capacity to carry more than ten tons (10,000 kg) of sand and granite chips rushing through the narrow village roads of agrarian hamlets is a regular scene.
The villages of Kodanchery, Kooda-ranji, Thiruvambadi, Karassery, Nellipoyil, Tinur, Vilangad, Marut-hankara, and Kavilu-mpara, all high-range zones, are most affected.
Recently at Pushpagiri in Koodaranji, a school and a church were stopped from functioning due to mindless quarrying. The quarry mafia was influential enough to silence the believers and make the church authorities toe their line.
At Chundathumpoyil in Karassery panchayat even during day time, largescale sand mining is going on in the premises of St George’s Ch-urch causing a threat to the church’s properties.
According to a study by the Pollution Control Board, the district has 118 quarries of which only three quarries own all necessary licences and the remaining 115 are illegal.
It is to be recalled that the Thamarassery forest range office was gutted by ‘hartal’ supporters and many vehicles were set on fire during the protest against the implementation of the Kasthurirangan committee recommendations on conservation of Western Ghats.
“The highest number of quarries are functioning in Karassery panchayath in the district and that too on Mysuremala, an abandoned plantation land later encroached by the public”, said Paristhithi Samrakshana Samithy president T.V. Rajan. “Recently, the activity of the quarry mafia has increased many fold higher in the region as the forest, revenue and police personnel are afraid to take on the mafia elements,” he added.
“At Maruthonkara pa-nchayath, 15 quarries are functioning by misusing the quarrying licence allotted to only five quarries,” he alleged, adding that though the panchayat secretary issued a stop memo he had to go on leave as the quarry mafia threatened him. Government officials and members of the three-tier panchayats were dancing to the tunes of the quarry lobby, he pointed out.
