Koyilandi: Complaints are mounting in Koyilandi that mining inside the Thankamala stone quarry, spread over 4.9237 hectares, is being carried out in blatant violation of existing regulations.

The powerful blasts carried out to break the rock have been giving sleepless nights to local residents. The stone aggregate and soil extracted from the quarry are now being diverted for National Highway construction. Each day, more than 100 loads of boulders, stone aggregate, and quarry waste are transported out on Taurus trucks.

With these trucks, carrying excess weight, keep criss-crossing the region,  most stretches of the local roads have suffered severe damage.

Residents complain that the quarry is operating without meeting any regulations or norms. It is alleged that quarrying is now taking place by gouging out rock from craters to a depth of nearly 250 metres. The entire area is filled with dust and fine particles from the quarry, and the activity has also polluted wells in nearby houses.

Highlighting the issue, Keezhariyoor Sivan, Congress Mandalam president, said that nobody is against a public infrastructure project like the National Highway. However, allowing a granite stone quarry to function by damaging an entire hill and the human habitat around it is extremely dangerous, he added.