Indian government body to take an "iron hand" to illegal granite quarrying in Madurai
The government crackdown on illegal quarrying in the Madurai region of India remains ongoing, and according to a report in the Business Standard, the Tamil Nadu government has told Madras High Court that it was dealing with illegal granite quarrying "with an iron hand." It has also sought to dismiss a plea seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the issue.
According to the report, the district collector had formed 18 teams to detect seven types of violations. Inspection began on August 2, and they have included the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The Business Standard reports that out of 175 quarries in the region, 166 quarries had been inspected. Of those, violations such as encroachments on government land were found in 76 quarries.