The Kerala High Court on Wednesday extended till October 15 the order directing that the quarries need not follow the distance norm of 200 metres from residential and inhabited areas set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) during their valid period of licence or lease.
The court passed the order when writs petitions filed by the State government and some quarry operators challenging the NGT's order came up for hearing. The court had said that such quarries only need to maintain a distance of 50 metres as contemplated in the Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules.
The court, however, had made it clear that quarries whose licence or lease period had expired should follow the distance norms set by the NGT when they sought to renew their licences.
The State government in its petition submitted that the NGT had passed the order on July 21 without hearing the State government. In fact, the tribunal had no jurisdiction to pass such an order. If the order was implemented, all quarries would have to be stopped.
It would not be in the best interest of the public to enforce the distance norm of NGT. The tribunal had passed the order without conducting a proper and scientific study. Besides it did not give any reason for prescribing such a distance norm.
