Ambur Residents Raise Concerns Over Six Proposed Stone Quarries

Quick Summary

• Event: Public hearing held in Vinnamangalam village near Ambur on Friday regarding the proposal for six new private stone quarries.
• Organizer: Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) chaired by B. Ajitha Begam, Revenue Divisional Officer, Vaniyambadi.
• Residents’ Concerns:

– Risk to local waterbodies used for irrigation.
– Pollution and damage to farmlands from blasting activities and lorry trips.- Potential harm to recently constructed roads connecting nearby villages to Chennai-Bengaluru Highway.
– overall threat to livelihoods based on agriculture in the area (~5,000 acres of farmland supporting ~12,000 voters).

• Project Details:

– Proposed six private quarries averaging 1.8 hectares each; individual projeccts avoid public hearings as permitted under TNPCB norms (<5 hectares threshold).- around 100 existing stone quarries already operate across Tirupattur district.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The residents’ protests highlight fundamental issues concerning resource extraction near agricultural communities. Farming villages like Vinnamangalam depend on fragile ecosystems-including waterbodies-for sustenance. Concerns over pollution, road damage, and threats to livelihoods reflect an overarching need for balancing economic development wiht environmental protection.

While TNPCB regulations allow bypassing public hearings for smaller quarry projects (<5 hectares), this may inadvertently promote fragmented approvals with cumulative impacts that are overlooked. Considering that Vinnamangalam supports approximately 12,000 voters with agriculture-based income tied directly into regional infrastructure (e.g., roads and irrigation systems), long-term repercussions of such projects could destabilize rural economies if risks materialize unchecked.A deeper engagement involving robust assessments of environmental impact may help resolve tensions between stakeholders while ensuring enduring practices around quarry operations moving forward. Read more at: The Hindu