16 june 2012
Court orders notice on indiscriminate sand mining
TOI
The Madras High Court has ordered notice to
authorities, including the Public Works Department, to file reply in two
weeks on a public interest litigation seeking to restrain them from
proceeding with sand mining in Kosasthalai river near Gerugampoondi in
Tiruvallur district.
The First Bench of Madras High
Court, comprising Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam,
also called for records from the authorities concerned after hearing a
submission on a PIL filed by K. Venkatesan, president of the Vilapakkam
panchayat.
In the PIL, Mr. Venkatesan stated that
the State government issued licence to the Public Works Department to
quarry sand in the Kosasthalai river. Though the PWD was permitted to
quarry only over the survey [No.100] which spread across Gerugampoondi,
Vilappakkam villages, the quarrying activity covered adjacent villages
such as Thirukkanajeri, Arumbakkam, Vembedu and Melsembedu.
The
petitioner also said the operations of the PWD were not in conformity
with the recommendations of the State Level Monitoring Committee,
constituted following an order of the High Court. Due to the
indiscriminate quarrying, the water sources were depleted and ground
water level had gone down. The quarrying of sand went beyond the
permissible level.
Mr. Venkatesan sought an interim
injunction restraining authorities from proceeding with sand mining in
the disputed area and also sought a direction to State level committee
to conduct a survey in the spot.
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