A panel appointed by the Madras High Court inspected sites in Perur and Thondamuthur blocks of Coimbatore district to investigate alleged illegal excavation of red earth, gravel, and operation of brick kilns.
Coimbatore: A panel appointed by the Madras High Court conducted an inspection in Perur and Thondamuthur blocks of Coimbatore district on Wednesday to investigate alleged illegal excavation of red earth and gravel, as well as the operation of brick kilns.
The inspection team was led by G. Narayanan, Chairman of the Permanent Lok Adalat (District Judge cadre), and K. Ramesh, Secretary of the District Legal Service Authority (Sub Judge). They were accompanied by District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, District Superintendent of Police K. Karthikeyan, District Forest Officer N. Jayaraj, and the Additional Director of Geology and Mining.
This inspection was ordered by a Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy while hearing a writ petition on September 26. The petitioner had claimed that indiscriminate mining in lands close to reserve forests was disrupting the natural movement of elephants.
The High Court instructed the panel to conduct a detailed inspection of all sites, interview volunteers and villagers in the vicinity, record their statements, and submit a report of their findings before the court on October 4.
During the day-long exercise that began at 7 a.m., the panel inspected 19 brick kilns, several brick chambers, and locations where red earth and gravel had been mined. They also measured the mining areas as part of their investigation.
It was reported that the local police have already taken action against some illegal mining activities. The Alandurai, Perur, and Thondamuthur police have registered four cases related to illegal mining of red earth this year. Additionally, the Thondamuthur police have filed four cases for the illegal operation of brick kilns.
The outcome of this inspection and the subsequent report to be submitted to the High Court are expected to play a crucial role in addressing the concerns raised about illegal mining activities and their impact on the local ecosystem, particularly the movement of elephants in the region.
The inspection team was led by G. Narayanan, Chairman of the Permanent Lok Adalat (District Judge cadre), and K. Ramesh, Secretary of the District Legal Service Authority (Sub Judge). They were accompanied by District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, District Superintendent of Police K. Karthikeyan, District Forest Officer N. Jayaraj, and the Additional Director of Geology and Mining.
This inspection was ordered by a Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy while hearing a writ petition on September 26. The petitioner had claimed that indiscriminate mining in lands close to reserve forests was disrupting the natural movement of elephants.
The High Court instructed the panel to conduct a detailed inspection of all sites, interview volunteers and villagers in the vicinity, record their statements, and submit a report of their findings before the court on October 4.
During the day-long exercise that began at 7 a.m., the panel inspected 19 brick kilns, several brick chambers, and locations where red earth and gravel had been mined. They also measured the mining areas as part of their investigation.
It was reported that the local police have already taken action against some illegal mining activities. The Alandurai, Perur, and Thondamuthur police have registered four cases related to illegal mining of red earth this year. Additionally, the Thondamuthur police have filed four cases for the illegal operation of brick kilns.
The outcome of this inspection and the subsequent report to be submitted to the High Court are expected to play a crucial role in addressing the concerns raised about illegal mining activities and their impact on the local ecosystem, particularly the movement of elephants in the region.