Alappuzha: In direct violation of a unanimous decision reached during an all-party meeting, soil extraction activities resumed at Mattappally in Palamel Grama Panchayat, near Mavelikara, prompting residents to take to the streets in protest. On Monday morning, trucks transporting soil extracted from a hillock in the area were met with resistance from demonstrators who vehemently opposed the contentious mining operations.
The decision to suspend soil extraction had been agreed upon during an all-party meeting chaired by Agriculture Minister P. Prasad on November 16, 2023. Despite this consensus, the contractor overseeing the project chose to restart the mining activities. The meeting had specifically mandated a halt to the extraction until District Collector John V. Samuel submitted a comprehensive report to the Kerala government. The Collector was tasked with examining the mining permit issued by the Department of Mining and Geology and ensuring that standard operating procedures were followed at the Mattappally site. Although Mr. Samuel visited the mining site last week, the awaited report has not yet been submitted.
The contractor defended the resumption, asserting that no government-issued stop memo had been received and that the soil removal was conducted under the permission granted by the Kerala High Court.
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