Kerala files petition in Supreme Court in quarry case

NEW DELHI: The Kerala government has filed a petition against the stay issued by the Supreme Court on the High Court order quashing the National Green Tribunal order regarding the minimum distance limit of quarries. In its petition, the government demanded that its order to fix the minimum distance for quarries at 50 metres should be approved.

The Kerala government had ordered that quarries can operate 50 metres away from populated areas. After receiving a complaint, the National Green Tribunal ruled that the quarries in the state must be at least 200 metres away from populated areas.

The quarry owners approached the High Court against this and the government supported them. The government informed the high court that the tribunal had issued the order without consulting the government. The High Court Division Bench then quashed the tribunal order and ensured protection for the quarries. However, when the license was renewed, the 200-metre limit was not changed. The quarry owners, who approached the Supreme Court against this, suffered a setback on Friday.