Illegal brick kilns: Madras High Court summons Commissioner of Geology, Coimbatore SP

Wants them to explain massive illegal mining of soil happening close to the reserve forest areas in the district

The Madras High Court on Wednesday summoned the Commissioner of Geology and Mining as well as the Coimbatore Superintendent of Police to explain massive illegal mining of soil happening in close proximity to the reserve forest areas in the district.

A Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy ordered that the two officers must be present in the court on December 6 along with their response to a 164-page inspection report submitted by district judge G. Narayanan.

The Bench also took serious note of a complaint made by advocate M. Purushothaman that his client M. Siva, an activist who had exposed the illegality and accompanied the district judge during the inspection, was brutally attacked by some miscreants.

It ordered proper treatment to the injured at the Coimbatore Government Medical College Hospital and called for a report regarding the investigation conducted by the police in the assault case. The orders were passed on petitions related to illegal brick kilns. The Bench asked amici curiae Chevanan Mohan and M. Santhanaraman also to submit their suggestions with respect to the report filed by the district judge since it highlights high level of environmental degradation and a threat to movement of wild animals.

Acting on the basis of High Court directions, the district judge had inspected 15 brick kilns at Madhampatti, Alandurai, Kuppaipalayam, Thondamuthur, Thenkarai, Kalikanaickenpalayam, Mathipalayam, Vadivelampalayam and Mugasimangalam villages in October this year.

The inspection found irregularities in most of the brick kilns that were reportedly sealed about six months ago. The district judge found availability of wet sand and also wet bricks in those kilns despite their claim of not being in operation for months together.

Apart from the kilns, the district judge had also inspected government as well private lands situated close to the reserve forests in Anaikatti, Karadimadai, Devarayapuram and other places and found deep trenches, created due to soil mining, in close proximity to the forests.

“From the overall inspection, I submit that the patta lands near the western ghats were miserably abused both by the land owners themselves or by other miscreants with or without the knowledge of the land owners. This rampant sand mining has been carried in these areas in a wide spread manner,” the district judge had said.

His report went on to state: “Almost in all the places we inspected the sand mining activities were noticed in just 500 meters away from the reserve forest boundary. If the soil in the foot hills of the reserve forest becomes loose and without firm ground support due to rampant mining, there is every possibility for land slides during heavy rains and if these quarrying activities are permitted to continue without a firm check, the forest treasure could be found only in books and not in reality.”

Published - November 27, 2024 09:55 pm IST