No inspection at granite quarries in Kozhikode as they flout norms
The Hindu
Operators buying property of complainants to silence them, says a resident
Periodic inspection of the stock of explosive materials kept in large-scale granite quarries in Kozhikode district is yet to take place despite complaints raised by environmental activists and local residents. Leaders of local action committees complain that the police are going by statements of quarry operators without conducting any inspections. In many of the large-scale quarries, the power of explosion is beyond the permitted capacity. Fearing retaliatory action by quarry operators, the majority of residents are maintaining silence. In Kozhikode, there are nearly 120 active quarries. “To reduce the number of complaints, quarry operators are adopting the strategy of buying the property of complainants and literally evacuating them from their own land. Many are unable to resist such acts,” said a farmer living close to a quarrying site at Thottumukkam. He said the damage to houses caused by powerful explosions was reported to the police only rarely as quarry operators were preventing such attempts by offering money to complainants.More Related News