Notice to Environment Ministry, State on river sand quarrying

The plea also sought for a ban on quarrying sand from any of the rivers in Tamil Nadu. 

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan before whom the PIL of P Ettikan hailing from Karur came up, directed the State and Centre to file their counters within four weeks. 

The petitioner had contended that the river sand mining carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD) in the State was in total contravention of the environmental clearances obtained under Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. 

He alleged that PWD officials were resorting to truncated clearance process by naming the mining activity as manual and claiming its extent was less than 25 hectares. Through this, they conveniently side-stepped the study of environmental impact and public hearing. Thereafter, they obtain relevant orders from the collectors and carry out mechanised mining. 

Referring to a review on the environmental impact of sand mining in Tamil Nadu which had led to severe depletion of ground water, inadequate water for agricultural and drinking purposes, the petitioner said the river basins affected through this include Palar, Cheyyar, Araniyar, Kosasthalaiyar, Cauvery, Bhavani, Vellar, Vaigai and Thamirabarani. He also contended that PWD has thwarted the very purpose of nationalising sand quarrying, which was meant to control rampant illegal and unsustainable river sand mining.