Thiruvananthapuram: The latest amendment to Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules, which reduced the minimum distance of a quarry from a road or river or a residential area from 100 to 50 metres, has created confusion among forest officials across the state. If a quarry is to come up near a forest, how far it should be from the forest boundary? Should it be 100 metres or 50 metres?
The State-Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority insists that it is 100 metres. “In all the environment clearances the SIEAA had issued, we had put a specific and general condition to leave a buffer distance of 100 metres from the forest boundary,” said Dr K.P. Joy, the SIEAA chairman. “We will continue to insist on the 100-metre condition,” he said.
However, divisional forest officers across the state are groping for clarity. “Usually, quarries were asked to keep a distance of at least 100 metres from the forest fringe. But now that there is an amendment to the Concession Rules, we are not sure of the position. We have not been informed of the state’s stand on the issue either,” said Ranni DFO Kochukanjiram.
Dr Joy argued that the SEIAA diktat had the power to supersede the state rules.
“The SIEAA has been given the power to impose any condition to safeguard the environment,” he said. In fact, the SIEAA had refused environment clearance for a quarry project that was to come up 2.5 km away from Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary in Ernakulam district.
Advocate Daisy Thambi, who takes up environment issues, said that the latest amendment had indeed led to confusion.
“Many of these authorities, say SEIAA or Pollution Control Board, acquire their powers from various state and Central Acts. Therefore, there is the high possibility that their powers could undermine each other,” Ms Thambi said.
However, the High Court is seized of the matter as petitions have already been filed in the High Court against the latest amendment to the Concession Rules. Ms Thambi, too, has impleaded in the case.
