Panel report blames authorities for illegal stone quarrying in southern Tamil Nadu

A five-member panel constituted by the civil liberties organisation Arappor Iyakkam submitted a report on the social, environmental and livelihood impacts of stone-quarrying in Tirunelveli and surrounding districts. The 156-page report was handed by committee chairperson V Suresh to Arappor Iyakkam convenor Jayaram Venkatesan at a press conference in Tirunelveli. Suresh, who serves as national general secretary of the People's Union for Civil Liberties, said the findings were based on months-long work that included a public hearing held in November. The report holds mining, revenue and pollution control authorities responsible for continued illegal mining and environmental degradation, stating that these authorities failed to discharge their statutory duties.