COIMBATORE
The Farmers’ Association (Apolitical) and the NGO Anti-Corruption Movement called on the Director of Mines and Geology and the District Collector of Coimbatore to stop all new mining lease grants in Coimbatore district and launch an independent inquiry into all current mining leases and traffic permits in the district to assess the environmental and financial damage.
NK Velu of the Anti-Corruption Movement and P. Kandasamy, General Secretary of the Farmers’ Union, wrote to the Collector and Director of Mines and Geology demanding action against the concerned officials, setting up a monitoring committee with a representative of the farmers’ union, collecting fines from license holders for excessive mining and paying compensation to farmers and residents affected by mines and quarries.
Mr. Velu said there were reports of pending proposals to grant two major mining leases in Kinathukadavu taluk – 25 acres of poramboke land in Sokkanur village and 4.25 acres in No. 10 Muthur village. These should be denied as there is evidence of “institutional collusion, collapse of the rule of law and a pattern of ecological destruction facilitated by the Coimbatore district unit,” he said.
He pointed to individual cases in Kinathukadavu, Sokkanur and Pollachi. In one case in Kinathukadavu, safety norms regarding power lines were ignored and mandatory fencing and green belts were not provided. At Sokkanur 54,069 Cu.M. the stone was quarried without permission, which resulted in a fine of ₹4.48 million, but it was reduced to ₹1 million. The debris flow further destroyed a nearby water channel. Leases were granted at Sangarayapuram despite being within 300m of houses, temples and wells and operated 23 hours a day, exceeding depth and volume limits, and an unauthorized post on the Cochin Frontier Highway operates at Govindanaickanur, where private individuals collect ‘taxes’ of ₹500 per unit from mineral-bound vehicles in Kerala.
The scale of illegal mining “suggests a sophisticated system of monthly commissions”. There is evasion of seigniorage, traffic regulations have become the norm and there is no patrol, he claimed.
The Palghat Valley, once known for its unique fertility, is undergoing rapid desertification. The local community is suffering from rapid depletion and chemical contamination of groundwater, destruction of native flora and fauna and conversion of fertile agricultural land into a barren wasteland, he claimed.
Published – 17 Jan 2026 21:17 IST