SINOJ THOMAS Vs. BALAL GRAMA PANCHAYAT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner, who is a grantee of Letter of Intent for establishing a Quarrying Unit in Maloth Village, Vellarikkundu Taluk in Kasaragod District, has filed this writ petition aggrieved by Ext.P12 decision and seeking to direct the 1st respondent-Grama Panchayat to issue permission to the petitioner for conducting quarrying operations forthwith.

(2.) The petitioner holds 2.3310 hectares of land comprised in Survey No.193 of Maloth Village, Vellarikkundu Taluk in Kasaragod District. The Director of Mining and Geology issued Ext.P1 Letter of Intent dtd. 19/9/2017 to the petitioner for Quarrying Lease under the Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2015. The petitioner submitted application to the competent authority and the Geologist approved Ext.P2 Mining Plan for Granite building stone Quarry, to the petitioner.

(3.) The petitioner applied for Environmental Clearance. The District Environmental Impact Assessment Authority, Kasaragod granted Environmental Clearance to the petitioner on 25/4/2018. The petitioner would submit that the validity of the said Environmental Clearance is still current in view of the notifications issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Pollution Control Board also issued to the petitioner Ext.P6 Consent to Operate. The Joint Chief Controller of Explosives granted the petitioner Ext.P7 Explosives Licence.