A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday observed that a clear audit should be done on the effect and impact of mining activities on the environment so that mishaps and natural calamities of larger order could be prevented.
A Bench comprising Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice C.T. Ravikumar observed that unscientific mining was creating impacts on environment. The court said that the geo-physical challenges posed to the terrains even on the onset of the monsoon would have to be treated as an eye opener.
The court also held that though building and construction materials were needed, that was not an excuse to override the larger need to sustain the environment. The court pointed out that no anxiety was reflected in the affidavit filed by the State government to ensure protection and preservation of environment and recoup any loss to the ecological balance.
The court observed that the doctrines of sustainable development could not be operated in vacuum by the executive merely being guided by the so called development needs. The statutory rules, though had the backing of the primary legislations, had been made principally on the basis of such advice. This, over the passage of time, had demonstrated themselves to be counter-productive to sustainable development and preservation of environment and ecological balance. Under these circumstances, there had to be an audit of the environmental impact of quarry and metal crusher units.
The court made these observations while dealing with a petition against functioning of quarry and metal crushing units in Manimala.
via The Hindu Newspaper http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article3808115.ece
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