Tension prevailed at Mattappally in Palamel grama panchayat, near Mavelikara, after local residents clashed with the police over soil extraction by levelling a hillock in the region on Friday.
The soil is removed and transported for the development of National Highway 66. Residents who fear that “indiscriminate” mining would be detrimental to the environment and result in acute drinking water shortage in the region blocked the trucks transporting soil in the early morning. The police intervened and arrested 17 protesters.
Later around 9 a.m. more people, including several women, led by M. S. Arunkumar, MLA, arrived. The police placed barricades on the Kayamkulam-Punalur road to prevent them from going to the mining site. The protesters blocked the traffic on the road and police resorted to lathicharge to disperse them. Several people sustained injuries. Women protesters alleged that they were roughed up by the police. The MLA sustained minor injuries in the scuffle.
The Nooranad police said that 102 people were arrested in connection with two protests. They were later released on bail, an official said.
The State government and Kerala High Court have given permission for soil extraction from Mattappally. The residents, however, have filed an appeal in the court challenging the single-bench order. The move to extract soil before a decision by the High Court’s division bench infuriated the residents and resulted in protests.
