Residents besiege stone quarries near Kottampatti; operations temporarily suspended
Residents of five villages near Madurai have protested against two stone quarries, citing environmental damage and safety violations. The protesters allege that the quarries have caused groundwater depletion and operate in violation of distance regulations from residential and protected areas.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing conflict between industrial resource extraction and the rights of local communities to environmental safety and water security.
Residents of five villages—Valaicheripatti, Velayuthampatti, Valaiyankulathupatti, Thonthilingapuram, and Sokkampatti—near Kottampatti in Madurai district staged a protest here on Tuesday by besieging two stone quarries, which operate side by side across an area of about 10 acres near Sokkampatti.
The protesters stated that agriculture in the surrounding areas had been adversely affected by these quarries.
Groundwater, which was previously available at a depth of 30 feet, has now plummeted below 300 feet, forcing farmers to abandon agriculture and take up daily wage labour, said an activist Selvaraj.
He added that the residents were concerned that officials turned a blind eye while daily blasting was carried out around 4 p.m. after blocking road traffic, with explosives frequently landing in residential areas and agricultural lands.
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