Activists have objected to the new order of the Geology and Mining Department, which allows brick kilns to restart after paying a fine. Photo: Special Arrangement
Activists have alleged that many of the 177 brick kilns located in Coimbatore district’s Thadgam Valley, which were sealed in 2021 for various permits, have reopened in the wake of interim relief granted by the Geology and Mining Department .
He alleges that many brick kilns have started selling the old stock of bricks from Wednesday after paying the first installment of the fine imposed on them by the Geology and Mining Department. As operations are slowly resuming after the payment of the first instalment, the owners are also mobilizing employees, he added.
In an order dated December 29, the commissioner of geology and mining allowed 177 brick kilns to resume operations after paying fines prescribed for them, ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. The order has also allowed brick kiln operators who want to pay the fine of Rs 2 lakh first and the rest in installments over 12 months.
An official of the department said that the payment of fine was going on by the brick kiln operators for the last few days. The official, who claimed ignorance about the operation of brick kilns, said that they can start operations only after the Collector issues instructions to this effect.
Thadgam Valley Security Committee’s S. Ganesh alleged that trucks loaded with bricks were passing out from some of the units since Wednesday itself. Many units have stock of illegally manufactured bricks worth several crores, which remained unsold after the sealing in 2021. Also, some operators have started leveling the pits from where the red soil was excavated, in violation of various rules, in order to destroy the evidence.
Worker K. Mohanraj said that instead of en masse sealing the brick kilns operating illegally, the authorities should periodically monitor the operators and identify the violators.
“After getting relief from the Geology and Mining Department, they are again indulging in violations. The authorities should think how ethical it is to give relief to violators for further violations and what kind of message it sends to the common man,” he said.
The order of the Geology and Mining Department, which is subject to the final decision of cases related to brick kiln operations pending before the Madras High Court and the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal, has also mentioned various conditions that need to be complied with for further Is. Operation of brick kilns.