THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Administrative Reforms Commission chairman V.S. Achuthanandan on Thursday urged revenue minister E Chandrashekharan to permit quarries in the state after examining their impact on the environment and people residing in nearby areas. In a letter to the minister, Achuthanandan said whether for sea port projects or any other development project the government should conduct a detailed study before granting sanction for quarries. The people residing in the area should also be made aware about their safety.
He said the significance of nature and protection of Western Ghats was felt like never before during the recent devastating floods in the state. "The LDF government has the historic responsibility of drawing the boundary of sustained development in the state,"he said.
He said the Vizhinjam port project was not being implemented in a time-bound manner. According to reports the developers of the project have attributed the slow pace of work to non-availability of construction aggregate including sand, gravel and crushed stone.
There is no provision in the agreement to allow quarries for their requirement. Under these circumstances any decision to allow quarries would not be justified especially when the question of destruction they could cause to habitation of people is involved.
The minister should ensure that all such requirements are scientifically examined and also in a transparent manner to take the people on board before taking such decisions.
