Granite quarrying near forest stayed

MADURAI: Permission granted for quarrying of granite at Kudarankulam on the bank of river Tamirabarani adjoining the Mundanthurai tiger reserve was stayed by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday.R Papanasam, secretary of the Tamirabarani River Irrigation Farmers’ Welfare Association, in his petition before the Bench, had said 84,737 acres of land was being farmed with water from Tamirabarani. Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar, and many areas of Tirunelveli  source their drinking water from there as well. The State government had granted permission to quarry multi-coloured granite near Kudarankulam, on the bank of Tamirabarani and near the Kalakkad Mundanthurai tiger reserve. Granite quarrying, though, is prohibited within a 10-km radius of wildlife sanctuaries. Permission for quarrying had been given based only on a no-objection certificate from the Pollution Control Board. .The bench directed issue of notice to the Central and State Pollution Control Boards, secretary of Forests and the commissioner of Geology and Mining.