HC summons Nilgiris Collector, Mines Dpty Director

Chennai, Jun 12: The Madras High Court has summoned the Nilgiris District Collector and the Deputy Director of Geology and Mines, dissatisfied with their status report on illegal quarry mining.

The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice A K Ganguly and Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla, gave the direction when a Public Interest Litigation filed by Advocate G Rajendran of the In Defence of Environment and Animals (IDEA) came up for further hearing yesterday.

On April 24, the First Bench had ordered the sealing of illegal mines and quarries in the Nilgiris region, directing the authorities to implement a February 1999 notice, banning the use of heavy vehicles for levelling lands in the hilly region.

The Bench said, ''The respondents, Collector and the Deputy Director of Mines, shall be present before the court with relevant records on June 17. We are not satisfied with the casual manner in which the report has been filed.'' ''We have made it clear that the order passed by the Bench is in order to protect the interests of the State and against illegal mining. The State should be eager to follow the orders,'' it added.

The petitioner had named specific places where indiscriminate quarrying was taking place.

UNI