Protest over illegal quarrying in Wayanad

450 loads of granite products transported a day

An aerial view of the granite quarries functioning on the Mattapara rocks beside the Phantom rock at Ambalavayal in Wayanad district.

Public protest is mounting against illegal mining in the ecologically fragile areas of the district even after the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) banned granite mining, quarrying, and stone-crushing at three tourism sites in the hill district a month ago.

On August 2, former District Collector Kesavendrakumar, who was also the chairman of the DDMA, had issued a directive to the Sulthan Bathery tahsildar to stop all granite mining and quarrying activities, and close down crusher units at Phantom Rock, Arattupara and Kolagappara rocks, and those in 200 metre to 1 km radial distance from all boundary points of these rocks. But, the granite quarries and crusher units in the area had been functioning flouting the directive, C.S. Dharmaraj, secretary, Our Own Nature, an environmental organisation, said.

The DDMA issued the directive under Section 30(2) (iii) of the Disaster Management Act 2005 to avoid an imminent disaster in the ecologically fragile region, he said.

Mountainous terrain

Mr. Kesavendrakumar said in his directive that landscape of the rocks and their premises were mountainous in nature with steep slopes and rises. Because of the terrain specifics, these ecologically fragile areas bore high risk of landslide. Landslide in the region could be catastrophic as the bottom areas of this rocky region were populated. So it was pertinent and inevitable to take proper precautionary measures for the prevention of disasters in this region, the directive said.

However, five granite quarries and 10 stone-crusher units were still functioning in the region and officials concerned were yet to take any measures to prevent them, K.P. Jacob, president of Rock Garden Tourism Club, Kumbaleri, said.

Close to 450 loads, each load of 15 tonnes to 20 tonnes, of granite products were being transported a day to various parts of the State and neighbouring States, he added. However, Revenue Department sources said that a few quarry owners had acquired stay order from the Kerala High Court against the DDMA directive and they were taking steps to vacate the stay order.