Residents protest proposed stone quarry in Tirupattur

Kalliyur, Madapallam, and Malripatti villagers protested against a proposed stone quarry along the Tamil Nadu – Andhra Pradesh border in Tirupattur. 

Residents said that preliminary work on the proposed stone quarry in Thengal village near Kalliyur was ongoing for the past few weeks. Since the work began, residents had been keeping a vigil against any attempt to run the new quarry at the foothills in the village.

They demanded the scrapping of the proposed stone quarry project due to its adverse impact on farmlands, water bodies, and village infrastructure like roads and water pipelines. “Most of the residents in the affected villages are farmers, who depend on groundwater for irrigation. The proposed quarry will not only affect groundwater but also basic infrastructure like panchayat roads and water pipelines. We have also given petitions to the District Collector in this regard, recently,” said R. Sugumar, a resident.

Located near Palar River, Kaliyur village is a sprawling farming village with an average 1,200 acres under cultivation. The village had around 3,000 voters, who depend on farming for their livelihood. Farmers depend on two lakes and a few ponds for farming. a

TNPCB officials said that at present, around 100 quarries, mostly stone quarries, operate in the district. Most of the quarries were located in Ambur, Kandali, Jolarpet, Natrampalli, and Tirupattur that were well-connected with adjoining districts.

It was around 10 a.m when residents staged a protest in the village against the proposed stone quarry. Revenue officials and the Natrampalli police reached the spot to pacify the agitated residents. After assurance from authorities, residents dispersed peacefully.