(PALAMEL) ALAPPUZHA: Ever felt the ground slip away from under your feet? If not, visit Palamel, a picturesque, hilly hamlet cosily nestled between the districts of Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta.
People of Palamel, for the last several years, have seen not just the earth beneath their feet, but around them too, moving —courtesy illegal and indiscriminate mining activities. They have seen several hillocks, tonnes of sand, clay and laterite disappear from the village in tipper lorries that have also crushed several lives, including those of children, as reckless drivers raced to clock more trips and earn more.
The perils
The devilish impact of mining still lingers, particularly when rains lash the region. A family, fast asleep, barely escaped death when their house came crashing down last month when its foundations, weakened on all sides due to mining, gave way after prolonged rains. Sinking of wells, disappearance of precious biodiversity and rare water bodies, illegal reclamation of paddy fields, accidents when mining workers met death underneath crumbling hills – these were everyday stories for Palamel.
Court orders study
But the villagers are a relieved lot now. The mining, at least for the time being, has stopped, thanks to a courageous struggle spearheaded by the panchayat, which was aided by a Court-ordered study conducted by the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram. The study chronicled the deterioration of environment and its consequences in areas including Adikkattukulangara, Mettupuram, Pulikunnu, Kadamankulam, Nooranad, Vallikunnu, Chunakara, Thazhakara and Thamarakulam.
The panchayat, according to its president S. Saji, had filed a petition before the Kerala High Court against indiscriminate mining of earth, sand, clay and laterite in the area, which led to the study. With the Court asking the government to take policy decision on regulating mining, there is a halt to the dangerous activity, which Mr. Saji alleges had the clandestine support of a few Revenue officials.
First victory
The panchayat has resolved to give permission to move sand, gravel or clay, only if it is of utmost necessity for construction of houses by the common man.
The fight against mining, Mr. Saji says, actually began with the panchayat's effort to prevent the reclamation of 250 acres of the 600-acre Karingalchal Puncha paddy field by a private party, purportedly to construct a medical college. The panchayat won, and the entire 600-acre expanse is now under paddy cultivation.
Source:The Hindu 21 July 2010
People of Palamel, for the last several years, have seen not just the earth beneath their feet, but around them too, moving —courtesy illegal and indiscriminate mining activities. They have seen several hillocks, tonnes of sand, clay and laterite disappear from the village in tipper lorries that have also crushed several lives, including those of children, as reckless drivers raced to clock more trips and earn more.
The perils
The devilish impact of mining still lingers, particularly when rains lash the region. A family, fast asleep, barely escaped death when their house came crashing down last month when its foundations, weakened on all sides due to mining, gave way after prolonged rains. Sinking of wells, disappearance of precious biodiversity and rare water bodies, illegal reclamation of paddy fields, accidents when mining workers met death underneath crumbling hills – these were everyday stories for Palamel.
Court orders study
But the villagers are a relieved lot now. The mining, at least for the time being, has stopped, thanks to a courageous struggle spearheaded by the panchayat, which was aided by a Court-ordered study conducted by the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram. The study chronicled the deterioration of environment and its consequences in areas including Adikkattukulangara, Mettupuram, Pulikunnu, Kadamankulam, Nooranad, Vallikunnu, Chunakara, Thazhakara and Thamarakulam.
The panchayat, according to its president S. Saji, had filed a petition before the Kerala High Court against indiscriminate mining of earth, sand, clay and laterite in the area, which led to the study. With the Court asking the government to take policy decision on regulating mining, there is a halt to the dangerous activity, which Mr. Saji alleges had the clandestine support of a few Revenue officials.
First victory
The panchayat has resolved to give permission to move sand, gravel or clay, only if it is of utmost necessity for construction of houses by the common man.
The fight against mining, Mr. Saji says, actually began with the panchayat's effort to prevent the reclamation of 250 acres of the 600-acre Karingalchal Puncha paddy field by a private party, purportedly to construct a medical college. The panchayat won, and the entire 600-acre expanse is now under paddy cultivation.
Source:The Hindu 21 July 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment