Madras High Court bench today dismissed 18 petitions, challenging the order of National Green Tribunal, allowing PWD to continue its sand quarry operations in 18 places along stretches of the rivers Cauvery and Kollidam, running along five districts.
Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice V M Velumani said the NGT's order is valid only for six months, which would end on August 23. Thereafter quarry operators should obtain environmental clearances based on the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests which came into force from December 24, 2013.
"Under the circumstances, the writ petitions are dismissed," the bench said.
NGT had on February 24 this year passed the order to enable the Public Works Department do sand quarrying for six months.
Kollidam river Protection Welfare Sangam's president R Subramanian and social activist P Ettikkan had filed the PILs against the NGT's order and sought a direction to restrain sand quarry operation in 18 places in Karur, Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts.
The bench had on April 30 passed interim orders restraining instream mining and mechanized mining in the quarry sites.
However, the state government obtained a stay from the Supreme Court.
In 2012, Cauvery Neervala Aathara Pathukappu Sangam had filed a petition before the Bench, seeking a direction to restrain PWD from sand quarry operations. The court had said that sand quarry operations should be carried out after obtaining environment clearances from the state-level environment impact assessment authority.
Pursuant to it, the executive engineer of PWD/WRO Trichy applied to the member secretary of the State Environment Impact Assessment authority. As there were no centralised guidelines regarding sand quarrying, SEIA itself framed ad hoc guidelines and granted clearances in various dates in November 2012, permitting continuation of operations in 18 places along the stretches of Cauver and Kollidam rivers.
Aggrieved over it, the matter went to NGT.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests brought in new guidelines on mining activities that came into force on December 24, 2013.
