Madras HC directs State to curb illegal sand mining from Kosasthalaiyar basin

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court directed the State to initiate immediate actions to prevent the offenders from illegally mining sand and savadu (a red soil type) from the river basin of Kosasthalaiyar.

Kosasthalai Aaru Matrum Kanimavala Pathukappu Sangam moved the HC, alleging that large-scale illegal sand and savudu mining is taking place at the river basin of Kosasthalaiyar and neighbouring government lands.

A vacation bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice V Lakshminarayanan directed the Tiruvallur collector and assistant director of geology and mining to take appropriate legal action against the large-scale illegal mining of sand, soil and savudu from the government lands along Kosasthalaiyar river basin.

The bench also directed to initiate action to prevent the extraction of sand and savudu from the patta lands over the permissible limits in Meyyur, Vembedu, Rajapalayam, Somadevanpattu and Eraiyur villages of Uthukottai taluk, Tiruvallur.

G Sankaran, senior counsel appearing for the petitioner, submitted that large-scale illegal mining of sand, soil and savudu from the government poramboke lands and river basin of Kosasthalaiyar was permitted with the active collusion of the authorities.

The department authorities, revenue authorities, police authorities and authorities from the water resources organisations are not initiating any action to prevent illegal sand mining, he added.

Additional advocate general (AAG) M Suresh Kumar submitted that all actions are initiated to prevent illegal mining of sand, soil, and savudu. He said that only the permissible limit is to be permitted as per the license, and the quantum is permitted for the licensee. "A special task force has been constituted to effectively prevent the illegal mining of sand and soil. Therefore, all further actions will be initiated," he added.

After the submission, the bench held that if the license's violation of terms and conditions or any illegal mining of sand is identified or permitted by any authority, the petitioner is at liberty to move an application, including a contempt petition for initiation of all further actions.