COIMBATORE: Over 300 villagers resorted to a sit-in protest in front of the District Collector's office in Erode on Friday against the proposed stone quarry in their residential neighbourhood.

The villagers, mainly farmers and their families from Madhampalayam, Marayeepalayam, Anaikatty, Indira Nagar, Parusapalayam, Malliampatti, Dasampalayam and other neighbouring villages, thronged the collector's office to submit a petition.

When the police refused to allow everyone to enter and asked only four of them to go and submit a petition, the villagers resorted to a protest.

Soon, Erode District Collector S Kandasamy arrived and listened to the grievances of the villagers.

They claimed that the proposed stone quarry at Marayeepalayam village may ruin the livelihood of over 2,000 families living in the locality.

The villagers raised apprehension that blasts in the quarry may cause cracks in their houses and the groundwater table may dip, affecting farming. The villagers withdrew the protest after the Collector assured them to look into the issue.