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Green nod mandatory for quarries in Kerala

Trivandrum - The highcourt has made environmental clearance mandatory for all the quarries.

By T K Devasia

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Published: Mon 7 Dec 2015, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 8 Dec 2015, 1:00 AM

In a setback to the state government, the Kerala High Court on Monday annulled its order exempting quarries up to one hectare from the need to obtain environmental clearance.
Considering a bunch of public interest petitions filed by environmental organisations, a division bench led by Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan has made environmental clearance mandatory for all the quarries. The bench termed the impugned government order against the Constitution. The court made it clear that permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests will be mandatory for issuing and renewing licenses for running a quarry.
The government had relaxed the rules in September this year in the light of a strike by quarries and crusher units in protest against the revised rules for issuing mining licence. The strike that lasted more than two weeks days had affected development projects, including the Cochin Metro, across the state.
Owners of small quarries opposed the rule citing the huge financial burden for securing environmental clearance. Coming under the pressure exerted by the quarry owners and considering the acute shortage of rubbles, the government exempted quarries in an area less than five hectares from the need for obtaining the environmental clearance.
Experts had then pointed out that the order will not stand before the law. They had pointed out that the order amounted to a violation of the Supreme Court judgment in the Deepak Kumar Vs the State of Haryana and others case.
A division bench of the high court had on March 23 upheld the apex court order while considering a writ petition filed by the All Kerala River Protection Council against the functioning of illegal quarries.

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