More mineral squads soon in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With illegal quarrying on the rise, the Mining and Geology Department (DMG) is planning to increase the number of regional mineral squads in the state. At the moment, there are just three regional squads for the entire state. Each squad, whose mandate is to detect illegal activities relating to quarrying, is given jurisdiction over four to five districts making it impossible for the squad to keep an eye on illegal activities over such a massive area.

When the registers of the regional squads were checked for the last three months it was found that they did not cover all the districts under their jurisdiction in a month. In fact during the last three months, the activities in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Idukki, Wayanad and Kasaragod were not covered. In other words, exploiters of scarce natural resources were given a free run in half the state in the last three months. It was also found that the squads functioned only during day time as their strength was good enough for only one shift.

“This allowed those engaged in transporting minerals illegally to easily time their movements,” a top DMG official said. And since all the 14 districts were not covered regularly, there was the risk of illegal quarrying, transportation and storage of minor mineral going undetected. “Illegal quarrying not only leads to loss of revenue but also involves indiscriminate quarrying practices,” the official said. Revenue, Mining and Geology and Police Departments are engaged in detection of illegal quarrying and transportation. Under the DMG, besides the regional squads, there are 14 district offices to detect illegal quarrying, transportation and storage of minerals. The district offices focus more on the issue of transit passes and permits.

Paucity of staff was also affecting the functioning of district-level and divisional level committees set up in 2011 to strengthen the surveillance and enforcement mechanism for preventing illegal quarrying. While the District level committees were to monitor the action taken to redress complaints raised by the public about illegal quarrying, the divisional level committees were to formulate an inspection schedule for visiting all working quarries and redress public complaints on illegal quarrying without delay. Most of these committees are now dysfunctional.