PALAKKAD: A team of revenue officials who inspected the diversion of two rivulets flowing from Dhoni forest by the 'Royal Crusher' unit for the commercial use of washing M-sand in its quarry here has found prima facie violations. The officials led by land records tahsildar P.G. Rajendrababu, deputy tahsildar V. Chandrababu and village officer Biju Andrews had inspected the two tanks built by blocking the natural flow of the rivulets and the 1.5-km penstock pipeline laid in between the tanks to pump water to the washing unit.
"We inspected the matter over the complaint of the farmers doing paddy cultivation downstream and have found that the natural course of water has been affected. After getting more details from the village officer, a report over the violations will be submitted to the district collector," Mr Rajendrababu told DC. He said that the unit had not obtained any permission to build huge tanks on the natural rivulets and lay pipes through the stream by reclaiming it. Meanwhile, the Akathethara panchayat, which is the custodian of the natural stream as per the Panchayati Raj Act, has not taken any action against the M-sand unit.
"We don't know whether permission of the civic body was obtained to build tanks and lay pipes by the unit. We are awaiting the report of the revenue department in this matter," Mr D. Sadasivan, president of the CPM-led panchayat said. Chairman of the Paristhithi Aikya Vedi, Boban Mattumanth, who is a complainant in the matter, said that as the violation had taken place in Malampuzha, the Assembly segment of V.S. Achuthanadan, who is also chairman of the Administrative Reforms Committee, the veteran should intervene in the matter.
