Lakshmi Rajamani Tiruchy THE quarries in Thuvakudi that were once bustling with activity, with the clang of chisels reverberating the area, wear a desolate look, with the rocks standing testimony to the calm that has descended the area. Work at the quarries started when the National Highway work was undertaken and BHEL came up. The need for labourers brought people from the other districts to settle here. M Ayyakannu, a third generation quarry worker, recalls the days when the quarry workers lived a life of terror, subjected to ill treatment of the worst order at the hands of the agents of the owners.