MADURAI: A three-member commission appointed by the Madras High Court Bench here has concluded that excess sand quarrying on five sites along the stretch of Tamirabarani, the only perennial river of the State flowing through Tuticorin and Tirunelveli districts, has created an ecological imbalance.
In its report submitted before a Division Bench of Justices P. Jyothimani and T. Raja on Thursday, the commission also said that further quarrying should not be allowed in the five sites “if public interest involved in eco-imbalance is taken as the sole criterion to evaluate future quarrying of river sand.”
After perusing the report, the judges adjourned a batch of public interest litigation petitions, based on which the commission was appointed, to October 20 as the Advocate General (AG) P.S. Raman sought time to take instructions from the Chief Minister and the Public Works Department Secretary.
The Commission comprised N. Seshasayee, Registrar (Judicial) of the High Court; N. Chandrasekar, Head of the Department (HoD), Centre for Geo-Technology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, and M. Arunachalam, HoD, Sri Paramakalyani Centre for Environmental Sciences of the same university.
Earlier during arguments, the AG pointed out that there was a discrepancy between the conclusions arrived jointly by all three members of the commission and their individual conclusions. Mr. Chandrasekar had opined that sand mining could be allowed in three out of the five sites in the river.
In his individual conclusion, he had said that mining activity should be ceased at the sites in Appankovil Kilpadigai and Managalakurichi villages in Tuticorin district. However, it could be allowed at Tholappanpannai, Mukkani (both in Tuticorin) and Thirumalaikoludupuram in Tirunelveli district with strict guidelines.
Explaining the reasons behind the discrepancies, Mr. Seshasayee said that there were minor differences between the two experts in the commission on technical grounds. However, all three of them concurred when it came to public interest involved in safeguarding ecological balance.
Special arrangement
At the end of the arguments, the AG requested to make some special arrangement to ensure that the case was heard continuously by Mr. Justice Jyothimani who would be replaced by Justice R. Banumathi from Monday. The judge said that the matter would be taken up with the Chief Justice for issuing appropriate orders.
