Kalpetta: Post Mundakkai landslide, the granite quarries in the district are facing stiff resistance from people across political lines triggering public agitations and putting political parties in a fix. The slew of protests has also stirred up trouble within panchayat committees. Mullankolly panchayat president P K Vijayan has expressed his willingness to resign reportedly over differences within the party over allowing quarries to function.
Three quarries function at Mullankolly and licenses were issued to two more quarries and applications are pending for nine more quarries. After the Mundakkai calamity, there was a series of agitations against the increasing number of quarries in the panchayat. At Channothukolly local people across political lines staged protests against the proposed quarry. A section of Congress leaders also supported the agitation which enraged the panchayat president.
Mullankolly panchayat president P K Vijayan said that he had given a letter to district and state leadership as he was not interested in continuing in the post due to some squabbles over the functioning of quarries. "Only three quarries were functioning earlier in the panchayat and licenses were issued to two more quarries. All the licenses were issued in tune with rules and regulations and with all the clearance from all departments concerned,” he said.
He said that the panchayat issued a stop memo to all quarries functioning in the area post the disaster and sought the intervention of the District Collector in the inspection of sites. Being the lone tribal member elected to the panchayat administrative body from the UDF camp, the front would be in trouble if Vijayan resigns from the post as the president’s post is reserved for Scheduled Tribes. District Congress Committee president N D Appachan said that the party would soon sort out the issues.
