MLA demands end to weathered sand mining - The Hindu

A call to end mining of weathered sand (‘matti manal’) was raised at the District Development Committee (DDC) meeting here on Saturday. Muvattupuzha MLA Eldho Abraham raised the issue at the meeting chaired by District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla.

Maintaining that mining of weathered sand had serious consequences for the environment, Mr. Abraham demanded stringent action against those engaged in the illegal business.

A statement released by the Public Relations Department (PRD) said the MLA had also called for the resumption of river bed sand mining in an “environment-friendly” manner, as paucity of the raw material had hit the construction industry hard. He suggested that sand ghat committees be constituted for the purpose.

The meeting also discussed issues pertaining to the Edayar Binani Zinc factory. State Pollution Control Board officials said despite the board’s order to take steps to remove chemicals from the plant, the company had not acted on it. The Collector issued instructions to officials to remove chemicals at the earliest.

Haritha Keralam

Haritha Keralam Mission district coordinator Sujith Karun told the meeting said that ‘Green Armies’ (Haritha Sena) had been formed in 18 panchayats in the district, the PRD statement added. He also said that effective intervention had been made for streamlining waste collection and management in Muvattupuzha block panchayat, six municipalities, and 20 grama panchayats.