Villagers near Melur urge govt. to permanently stop auctioning of granite quarries

Villagers urge TN govt to cancel notification for auctioning patta lands in Madurai district for granite quarrying, demand protection of natural resources. They threaten to intensify stir & approach court if officials don't cooperate. They call for publication of Sagayam Commission report & action as per its recommendations. #ParambuMalaiPathukappuIyakkam

Urging the Tamil Nadu government to permanently cancel the notification for auctioning patta lands in Sekkipatti, Tiruchunai and Ayyapatti villages near Melur in Madurai district for granite quarrying, the villagers on Tuesday demanded protection of natural resources in larger public interest.

Staging a demonstration under the banner ‘Parambu Malai Pathukappu Iyakkam’ near the Collectorate here, they said natural resources in the belt had already been affected due to quarrying activities. Only after the U. Sagayam Commission’s actions, the granite quarries were closed, they said.

The district administration announced auctioning of quarries last month. However, after protested by the people, officials postponed it by a month and there were indications that fresh auction would take place by December end. “The people want the government to direct the officials to withdraw the auction permanently,” they said.

In the event of non-cooperation from the officials, the villagers would intensify their stir and ensure that the auction was stalled. If required, they would approach court for relief, said S. Karnan, coordinator of the Iyakkam.

The State government should publish the Sagayam Commission report and take action as per its recommendations. It should direct police to immediately drop the criminal cases allegedly foisted against social activist Kambur Selvaraj, the protesters said.