Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding limestone mining in Ariyalur District, Tamil Nadu, 26/08/2019
Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of R. Radhakrishnan Vs The District Collector, Ariyalur District dated 26/08/2019 regarding limestone mining. The Tribunal expressed its disappointment with the report forwarded by the District Collector and pointed out the inadequacies for instance, it was not mentioned as to whether any air pollution controlling mechanism has been installed and whether the conditions of EC/Consent to Operate/Consent to Establish and mining lease have been complied with.
The report mentions that "limestone to the depth of 7 meters from limestone mine 1 and for the depth of 5 meters from limestone mine 2 have been extracted. But it is not known as to whether it is within the permissible limit." The Tribunal pointed out that the report mentions that eventhough the report mentions that 12,000 ltrs of water per day was being used for domestic purpose and for the purpose of green belt development and water sprinkling activity, it's not known whether any permission has been obtained from the concerned authority for installing the bore well. The NGT directs the Committee constituting of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the District Collector to ascertain all the aspects and submit a factual report and assess the compensation for damage caused to environment for any violation found.