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Complaint given by Thadagam Valley Protection Committee to the District Collector of Coimbatore regarding the Illegal Reopening of the Brick Kilns the Transport of Bricks to the Market.

 





From:                                                                                                                 13.01.2023


Thadagam Valley Protection Committee

1/7, Main Road, Chinnathadagam PO

Coimbatore 641 108.

Ph: 97914 55111


To:


The District Collector,

Coimbatore District,

Coimbatore



Respected Sir,


SUB: 

1. Evidences for the Illegal Transportation of Bricks by the Illegal brick Kiln Owners from their Closed and Sealed Brick Kiln Premises in Thadagam Valley from 02.01.2023 to 13.01.2023

2. Quarrying of silt and sand from the stream beds and using the stream beds as roads for the heavy vehicles used for transporting illegally stored bricks

3. Increasing Human Elephant Conflict following the above activity

4. Request to take penal action against the violators of law 



The illegal brick kiln owners of Thadagam Valley are transporting bricks stored in their illegal brick kiln premises from 02.01.2023 onwards. These kilns were closed and sealed by you on 19.03.2021 following the Order of the Honourable Madras High Court. The Principal Bench of Hon’ble Madras High Court while hearing W.P.No. 27356 of 2019 on 10.01.2023 came to know about the Order of the Commissioner of Geology and Mining dated 29.12.2022 which cancelled your Order dated 19.03.2021 and allowed the illegal brick kiln owners to shift the bricks and mud kept in their premises after paying a penalty amount of Rs.2 Lakhs. It has stayed the Commission’s Order and has banned the transport of bricks from the closed and sealed illegal brick kilns. The Hon’ble Court has posted the case for 19.01.2023. Meanwhile, while hearing O.A.119 of 2021 on 11.01.2023, Hon’ble NGT had questioned the Order of the Geology and Mining Commissioner and had posted the case for 27.02.2023. 


From the enquiries we have conducted with the local people and by our own observation, about 1500 lorry loads of bricks have been illegally transported out of the closed and sealed brick kilns from 02.01.2023 to 13.01.2023. Each lorry carries 4500 bricks. The illegal lorries have chosen to ply between 11PM to 6 AM every day. The bricks are transported to outside markets. These activities are going on even after the warnings from the Hon’ble Madras High Court on 10.01.2023 and Hon’ble NGT on 11.01.2023. The main  reason for this is that the District administration has not disconnected the power supply still to the offices and worker’s quarters of the illegal brick kilns. This should be done immediately based on the Orders of Hon’ble Madras High Court dated 10.02.2021 and 09.12.2021 in W.P.No.28475 of 2019.


Thadagam Police Station has filed a few cases with respect to this. We are presenting along with this complaint some of the photographs of the lorries transporting these bricks illegally with their location details and dates. 


For your kind information, Thadagam Police Station has installed CCTV Cameras in 8 places on the roadsides inside Thadagam Valley. Kindly check their footages to ascertain the extent of illegal transportation of bricks made so far from 02.01.2023 to 13.01.2023.


The CCTVs are located in the following locations:


  1. Thanneer Pandal Junction, Chinnathadagam
  2. Thadagam - Coimbatore Highway
  3. Thadagam Girls High School Junction Veerapandi Road
  4. Thadagam Bus Stand - Thudiyalur Road
  5. Kanuvai Bus Stand Junction
  6. Pannimadai Junction - KRS Bakery
  7. Pannimadai Near Kamarajar Statue
  8. Pannimadai - Near Dharmaraj Kovil


We request you to find out the culprits who have indulged and are indulging in this illegal activity and take the necessary penal action. We also request you to produce the evidence about the illegal transportation of bricks as recorded by the above said CCTV cameras to the Hon’ble Madras High Court on 19.01.2023 and to the Hon’ble NGT on 27.02.2023. Power disconnection to the offices and worker’s quarters in the illegal brick kilns should be done immediately to curb this criminal activity.


In addition to the above, the silt and sand that has settled in the stream beds from 19.03.2021 till 02.01.2023 is being removed illegally by the brick kiln operators for their own use and also to convert the stream beds as roads for their heavy vehicles used in transporting the bricks. As the elephants are traditionally using these stream beds for migration, this activity of the brick kiln operators has forced the elephants to deviate from their path and enter into the villages. For your kind information, Thadagam Valley had experienced the maximum number of Human Elephant Conflict prior to the closure of illegal brick kilns on 19.03.2021. This got reduced to just 1 in the following months of 2021 and 0 in 2022. In 2023, after the resumption of the activity of the kilns, elephants have started entering the villages and a sharp increase in the Human Elephant Conflict is on the anvil. We request you to consider this important fact and take the necessary actions to protect the streams, elephants and the villagers of Thadagam valley from the criminal activity of the the illegal brick kiln operators. 


Thanking You


Sincerely Yours



 Copy To;


  1. The Hon’ble Madras High Court
  2. The Hon’ble NGT(SZ)
  3. The Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu
  4. The Chief Conservator of Forest, Coimbatore
  5. The District Forest Officer, Coimbatore
  6. The Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Rural 











The Case of MVN Bricks, Chinnathadagam




Photo Before the illegal transportation of Bricks




 



Photo After the illegal transportation of Bricks















Collector's Response


––––
























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