THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Comptroller and Auditor General has asked the state government to review its latest decision to amend the Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules reducing the permissible distance for quarrying to 50 metres from roads, canals, rivers, and residential buildings. The former UDF government had made it 100 metres. The CAG report noted that even 100 metres was not a safe distance as a number of houses even beyond 100 meters of a mining explosion site have developed cracks from the impact.
“Local verification showed that 14 houses located more than 100 metres away from the quarries damaged with cracks on floors/walls, reportedly due to blasting,” the report said. When complaints were made that blasts from a quarry in Thrissur had caused cracks to walls, the sliding of roof tiles, and vibration to buildings, the Pollution Control Board told the CAG that the quarry was well within the 100 metres stipulated by rules. Again, in Ernakulam district, rock pieces scattering from a quarry blast site had damaged houses some 400 metres away. The revenue divisional officer had confirmed that residential buildings, store shed and cattle sheds located 400 metres away showed telltale signs of rock impact.
It was not just the ‘bomb explosion’ effect that affected buildings nearby, its foundations too are shaken. “The assistant geologist who accompanied us for the joint verification stated that many geological factors affected the buildings such as waves occurring during blasting, terrain of blasting site and intensity of tremors while blasting,” the report said. One of the reasons cited by industries minister A. C. Moideen for reducing the permissible distance was that the rules issued by the Central government in 2016 and those followed by several other States prescribed only 50 metres.
The CAG contests this saying that in Tamil Nadu it is 500 metres. Further, it cites a 2008 CESS report that had stated that areas within 250 metres of a blast site is prone to vibration. The report also cited a High Court verdict that prohibited quarrying within 500 m of Ambedkar Harijan Colony which led to stoppage of quarries in nearby Pettamala located in Kunnathunad taluk in Ernakulam district.
