Dispose of illegally quarried granite case in 4 months: HC to Madurai Special Court

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court directed the Madurai Special Court to dispose of a case on illegally quarried granite worth Rs 16,338 crore from poromboke land in Madurai within 4 months.

Petitioner P Senthilkumar, representing PRP granites, moved the Madras High Court seeking to direct the State government to ban the auction of waste, over-burden rejects, and non-saleable granite blocks.

The case was heard by Justice SM Subramaniam. The senior counsel Wilson for the petitioner said, “Keeping minerals in a nearby or adjacent area is a legal right from provisions as contemplated under Sections 2 (j) (x) and (xi) of the Mines Act, 1952. The State government has granted a lease of granite blocks in the Madurai in favour of the petitioner in respect of the patta lands and Government lands.”

He added that overburden, waste, rejects, and non-saleable granites from quarrying operations could not be allowed to be sold. “If such eventualities are allowed to take place, the quarrying lessees would be put into irreparable loss and mental agony. Also, granite quarrying lessees are answerable for not refilling the excavated mother earth,” he pointed out.

Advocate General Shunmuga Sundaram for the State said that the Government has already initiated action and the auction notice was published, which is under challenge.

“Keeping the granites open would cause financial loss, as the value of the granites will be diminished. Therefore, authorities may be allowed to complete the auction process and deposit the proceeds in a separate account, till such time the criminal cases are disposed of by the special court in Madurai,” he explained to the court.

In 2012, the State government was instructed to submit a report on illegal quarrying and transport of granite from across Madurai including Navinipatti, Keelaiyur, Keelavalavu, and Saruguvalaypatti. Subsequently, the district collector inspected the spot and filed a report stating that granites worth Rs 3,350 crore were quarried by private lessees from TAMIN’s leasehold areas and Rs 16,338 crore were illegally quarried from several government poromboke lands.

There may have been revenue loss of Rs 15,000 crore due to unauthorised stocking of granite blocks in Madurai.

In 2013, the district collector sent a draft e-auction notice to dispose of the blocks found on poromboke land. Later, complaints were filed against 180 persons regarding this issue.