Tamil Nadu: Environmental activists call for govt takeover of quarries to generate income, save lives

TIRUCHY: The recent murder of an environmental activist at Tirumayam in Pudukkottai had caused a flutter among the activists across the State.

They had appealed to the State government to acquire all the stone quarries functioning across the state and claimed that doing so would fetch the government at least Rs 1 lakh crore in revenue.

On January 17, K Jagaber Ali (58), an environmental activist from Venkalur near Tirumayam in Pudukkottai who was returning from the mosque was hit by a lorry and he died on the spot. Tirumayam police rushed to the spot, retrieved the body and sent it to the GH. The police also registered a case of accidental death.

However, there was a twist on the episode after the deceased Jagaber Ali’s wife Mariyam lodged a complaint with the Tirumayam police suspecting the cause of death and claiming that it was purely a murder as he was raising concerns about the stone quarries functioning illegally and submitted petitions with the officials to curb the illegal mining activities in and around Tirumayam.

As per her suspicion, the police found that it was a murder and the case was altered thereafter. The police arrested five persons including the RR Crusher owner R Rasu, his brother Ramaiyya and son Dinesh.

“What Jagaber Ali insisted primarily was the environmental concerns and then the revenue loss to the State government. He even lodged a complaint with the officials on January 10 with complete evidence but the officials failed to save his life,” said N Shanmugam, Coordinator, Movement Against Illegal Stone Quarrying.

Shanmugam further said that the Jagaber Ali had even approached the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court and sought the order for the inspection of all the quarries functioning in and around Tirumayam. As per the direction from the court, five quarries were sealed in earlier instances. While the particular RR Crusher’s license had expired in 2023 but still, the unit was still mining stone for years.

“This is an absolute loss to the government and whom to blame for this,” Shanmugam asked.

Shanmugam said that the activist Jagaber Ali had also raised concerns that at least Rs 1,000 crore of revenue was lost to the government from five illegal crusher units functioning in Tirumayam. He also mentioned that their seven reaches that were functioning at the entry points of Tirumayam also caused environmental pollution and damaged the groundwater.

Kambur Selvaraj, Coordinator, People’s Movement Against Mineral Theft claimed that Jagaber Ali was threatened often by the quarry owners for exposing their illegal activities.

“In the illegal mining activities, all political parties are united. Most ruling party functionaries would obtain the lease in rare cases even the opposition party functionaries too have the lease. In Pudukkottai, mostly the opposition party functionaries run the quarries,” Selvaraj said.

He claimed that by and large, the activist would face severe wrath from the quarry owners who would throw away the norms in the air and continue to dredge even beyond the permitted measurement.

“12,000 stone quarries are functioning in Tamil Nadu with the permission of mining within 60 feet depth but the particular RR Crusher was mining beyond 300 feet and the local officials were not ‘aware’ of it until the death of the activist Jagaber Ali,” Selvaraj claimed.

He urged the State government to stop the conventional method of leasing out quarries and take possession of all the quarries so that it can earn at least Rs 1 lakh crore annually against the present annual revenue of Rs 1,835 crore.

Steps being taken to curb illegal mining: Official

The State government is keen on curbing the illegal mining activities and transportation of minerals as these activities pose a significant challenge. Hence the government has deployed drone technology, Mining Surveillance System and Online Mineral Management System, said an official from the mines department on condition of anonymity.

According to the officials, to prevent illegal mining, drones are used to measure the volume and extent of the mines and quarries. The drone survey has been completed in around 200 quarries across the state and the survey has been going on, the official said.

Meanwhile, as many as 23 agencies have been empanelled to conduct a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) survey for the existing mines to ascertain the leased area. The DGPS survey has been completed in as many as 1132 mines, the official stressed.

“But still, we are looking into the complaints received from various persons on a periodic manner," the official said.

The official also said that the license of the RR Crusher unit at Tirumayam had expired in 2023 and it was functioning illegally for these years. Subsequently, the unit was sealed.

Accordingly, on February 6 after verifying that the license has expired since 2023, a report was submitted before the Pudukkottai district Collector M Aruna. Based on the report, the Collector ordered the unit to be sealed.

Based on the order, a team of officials headed by the RDO Aishwarya sealed the RR Quarry and Crusher Unit. The officials also warned of severe action against those who trespass on the sealed unit.

Environmental activists plan protests seeking safety

To insist the State government ensure the safety of environmental activists who become vocal against illegal mining activities, the federation of environmental activists has decided to stage a series of protests in Chennai and other districts.

The death of K Jagaber Ali has resulted in panic among environmental activists as they face life threats from the illegal miners. So the Federation of Environmental Activists initially met the family of the deceased Jagaber Ali to console the members of the family and also sought compensation of Rs One crore for the family.

They have also planned to hold a protest at Tirumayam on February 16 to insist the Pudukkottai district administration initiate stringent action against illegal stone quarries functioning in the district.

“We would also visit the spots where Jagaber Ali was killed and then visit the quarry to read a report to be submitted to the government for further action. We have also planned to organise a series of protests in Chennai by February end and demand the government to ensure the safety of all the environmental activists across the state,” said N Shanmugam, Coordinator of the movement against the illegal stone quarry.

“We even risk our lives for the protection of the environment and alert the officials but the officials used to be lethargic for initiating swift action,” charges Shanmugam. He said that the activists go on protesting with the hope of making deaf ears listen.

Previously, on September 19, 2024, the Federation of Environmental Activists staged a protest in Chennai against the official apathy at the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).

“Such protests would continue periodically as our main agenda is to preserve the environment from the hands of illegal miners,” Shanmugam added.