719 mining permits issued in 5 years

Times of India: Thiruvananthapuram: Tuesday, 21 April 2015.

Mookkunnimala might not be the lone casualty of unregulated mining in Thiruvananthapuram.

The department of mining and geology issued 719 permits for quarrying in Thiruvananthapuram in the last five years and has rejected only four applications in the same period, according to data obtained through Right to Information (RTI) act.

The most number of permits (172) were issued in 2010-11 while only 74 permits have been issued in 2014-15. Although TOI had sought details regarding the permits issued, the reply was only confined to the number of permits and no information was available on places where quarrying permits were granted.

In 2015, 26 applications have so far been received for quarrying in Thiruvananthapuram. The department cancelled just 6 permits for violation of norms between 2012 and 2015. This number is too small considering the vigilance report filed for Mookkunnimala.

The vigilance team, which was directed by the vigilance director Vincent M Paul to conduct surprise checks at Mookkunnimala and file a quick verification report (QV) had found out that 49 quarries, 20 crusher units and one M-sand unit functioned illegally at Mookkunnimala.

In the report submitted to the state government, it has been pointed out that further probe into the matter is not possible without shutting down quarries.

However, as per information available with the geology department, only 2 quarries violated norms in 2014-15, the period during which vigilance had filed the report. Three renewal applications have been received for quarrying granite building stone at Mookunnimala in 2015.

The licence and permit of quarries and crusher units at Mookkunnimala had expired by January and February following which district collector had issued stop memo against quarrying activities. At Mookunnimala, of the 25 quarries which had got legal mining permit from department of mining and geology, the permits of eight quarries already expired by December and January. The permits of remaining 17 expired in March. The D&O trade licence issued by the panchayat to all quarries had expired on January 31.

Interestingly, four quarry owners produced environmental clearance in 2014 and 2015 while applying for mining permit. The collector had earlier said that the pollution control board should not renew licences of quarries which do not have environmental clearance from environmental assessment authority.

Revenue department and department of geology shall issue licences for quarrying in future only based on TSS sketches, the collector had directed. Recently, official of mining and geology department had also filed report on illegal mining at Mookunnimala during the total station survey.