Munnar Gap Road widening: PCB decides ₹91.09 crore environment damage compensation for illegal quarrying

The compensation was assessed by calculating the cost of the rock illegally extracted at its present market value

Kerala State Pollution Control Board has assessed an environment damage compensation amounting to ₹91.09 crore due to the illegal quarrying carried out for widening the Munnar Gap Road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway.

The assessment was made based on the directive issued by the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal, which had appointed a joint committee to probe the allegations of illegal quarrying. The committee, which included the Sub Collector of Devikulam and officials of the Pollution Control Board and Department of Mining and Geology, had found illegal extraction of around 2.51 lakh cubic metre of rock, equivalent to 6.28 lakh metric tonnes.

The tribunal had also asked the committee to decide the environment damage compensation by assessing the cost of the mineral illegally extracted at its present market value, besides working out the amount required to restore the environment to its original condition.

The joint committee had held the firm, which had won the sub-contract for the road widening work, responsible for causing the environment damage. It was also found that the illegal quarrying was conducted in a puramboke land. A report by the committee said that blasting was done for a stretch of around 2.5 km in connection with the road widening work. The alignment of the road was fixed at 7.5 metre from the centre to either side, but it was found that in many places the road width had exceeded the 7.5 metre from the centre, it said.  

The environment damage was assessed using the exceedance, deterrence and risk factors. While the exceedance factor captured the extent of illegal mining, the risk factor estimated the severity of the ecological damages at the field site.