Residents complain to DK DC on illegal quarrying

Residents complain to DK DC on illegal quarrying

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 20, 2017: A quarry, active in the land bearing the Survey number 112/P/1 at Tannirupatha, adjacent to the Paledu block of the Uppinangady forest zone. Stones are being quarried using earthmovers and explosives. The walls of the houses in the vicinity have developed cracks due to the intensity of the explosions. The residents of Madappadi are living in fear due to large scale quarrying in the Uppinangady area.

The people of Madappadi, Mandila, Manya, Paledu, Balinja, Hosamane, Pejakodange, Acharibettu and the surrounding places have submitted a complaint to DK DC Dr K G Jagadeesh against the quarrying.

The land belongs to the forest area. Due to the explosions, the wild animals in the forest are leaving their habitats. A 300-foot-deep trench has been dug in an acre of land, due to the continuous quarrying process. Water accumulates during the rainy season. The people, schoolchildren and cattle passing nearby, are prone to danger as there are no protective walls around the quarry, said the citizens.

The Kudradka-Paledu-Lingasthala-Kakkepadavu connecting road, which is only 40 metres away from the quarry, has development cracks. Adding to the problem, the lorries carrying the stones have worsened the condition of the road, the complaint signed by 120 residents said.

The labourers who work with explosives have not been provided any safety equipment. All regulations related to safety are flouted.

The applicants have, therefore, demanded a spot visit by the DK DC. "The quarry owners had constructed a road illegally inside the forest land, which connected the quarry to the main road. Following the complaint we filed with the Forest Department, the Uppinangady zonal forest staff closed the road, by digging a trench," the villagers said.

Tannirupantha Gram Panchayat owner Sadananda Shetty, husband of quarry owner Sunitha, insisted that the quarry is not illegal but is operating with a valid permit. No forest land has been encroached either, he said.