Kerala lifts ban on quarries and sand mining

Kerala Government today decided to allow the functioning of quarries and sand mining in river beds subject to conditions prescribed by courts and guidelines of State Environment Committee.
A decision in this regard was taken at a special cabinet in view of severe shortage of building materials leading to crsis in construction sector, State Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters here.
"There will not be a total ban on the functioning of quarries, sand mining from river beds," Chandy said. The Chief Secretary would hold a video conference with all 14 district collectors tomorrow and give directions in this regard.

New licence to quarry also would be given subject to conditions laid down by courts and Environment Committee, he said.
A proposal to excavate sands from dams in the state was also under consideration and steps in this regard would be taken after getting necessary permission from Union Forest Department as most of the dams in the state were situated near the forest, he said.
To a question, he said there was no financial crisis in the state, but there was a fall in the expected tax revenue target.
This was an impact of the general slowdown in the country and the state was taking steps to improve its revenue without putting people into difficulty, he added.

Chandy also made it clear that government was not for any ban on recruitment and appointments in government jobs.