MADURAI: A large number of residents from Arittapatti village went on a fast near Kalavasal function here on Wednesday demanding the reversal of a Government Order which allows mining activities in the heritage rich hillock in their village. Hundreds of villagers, mostly women, protested seeking direct intervention of the Chief Minister to withdraw the GO allowing quarrying of stones in the hillock. Carrying placards inscribed with ‘Save heritage monuments’, ‘Redeem farmers’, the villagers also threatened to go on a fast unto death if the issue is not sorted out. The protesters said that if the hillock was quarried, the entire village would vanish and the water source would dry up. Hence, the villagers demanded that the government reverse the order and protect the hillock by issuing a permanent ban on quarrying in the hamlet.C Muthuramalingam, president of Ezhumalai Protection Union, said that the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had issued an interim stay order against land mining for seventy days. With the stay order expiring on August 19, we need a permanent solution. Despite the order of Collector to clear intruders from the hillock, there is still machinery in the heritage area,” he added.“The District Collector should visit the hill, take stock of the situation and submit a report to the Chief Minister on the impact of land mining in the heritage spot,” said Chinmaya Somasundaram, district president of VHP. It may be recalled that the DMK government had passed a GO in September 2008, permitting Tamil Nadu Minerals Limited (TAMIN) to quarry stones from a poromboke land at the hillock, near Melur. Subsequently, the villagers filed a petition against quarrying in the hillock, which houses ancient Jain abodes and Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, following which a stay order was issued on land mining in the poromboke lands.
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