Kasaragod: The week-long relay hunger strike by laterite stone quarry owners in front of the Kasaragod Collectorate took a desperate turn when one of them attempted suicide in the protest tent on Wednesday.

Gopalakrishnan K (59), a resident of Malappachery near Nileshwar, consumed poison to draw attention to their indefinite hunger strike. He is in the ICU in a private hospital in Kasaragod, said fellow protesters.

The lockout of quarries has crippled the construction sector in the district as almost all civil structures in Kasaragod are built using laterite stones. "Almost all houses and buildings, including government offices, in Kasaragod, Kannur and Malappuram are built using laterite stones. But in Kasaragod, the district administration is not giving permits to extract laterite stones, and officials impound our trucks and machines and slap fines on us as per their whims," said Hussain Berka, a quarry owner.

The Laterite Stone Quarry Owners' Welfare Society -- with around 400 members -- stopped work in the Kasaragod district on September 16, demanding permits to extract laterite stones legally and release trucks impounded during transport of laterite stones.

With neither Collector Inbasekar Kalimuthu nor the District Geologist reaching out to the society, the quarry owners took out a protest march to the Collectorate on September 19. Since September 20, the quarry owners have been on a relay hunger strike in front of the Collectorate. "Every day, one quarry owner from one region would be on hunger strike for 24 hours. Yesterday was the turn of Shamsuddin EP from Nileshwar," said Berka, a member of the society.

Gopalakrishnan, who is also from Nileshwar region, decided to give company to Shamsuddin in the night. "Around 2 am, Shamsuddin saw Gopalakrishnan scribbling something on the paper. He thought he was writing new protest slogans," said Hussain.

At daybreak, Gopalakrishnan developed chest pain and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors found a suicide note in his pocket. Protesters found a bottle near the protest tent.

No permit, no ban, only fine
The government does not give permits to extract laterite stones if the land identified for mining was assigned by the government to a landless beneficiary at any point in time, said quarry owners. In Kasaragod, only 13 of the 400 laterite quarries function from non-assigned land. "The government's reasoning is that assigned land can be used only for building houses or agricultural purposes. However, land regulations state that assigned land can be transferred or sold after 12 years. The plots we purchased for mining have changed hands multiple times and are well beyond the restriction period," said Hussain.

Till 2019, the Department of Geology used to approve laterite stone mining plans if quarry owners gave an affidavit saying they would turn the depleted quarries into agriculture plots. "But for the past four years, the department has not issued any permit," he said.

Gopalakrishnan, who attempted suicide, is one of the 13 quarry owners who own a quarry which is not on assigned land. He has an environmental clearance too for the plot. "So when he approached the District Geologist for a permit, he was told that the permit fee has gone up to Rs 5.85 lakh from Rs 75,000 for one quarry," said Shamsuddin. (1 quarry = 24 cents.)

He was also told to pay a fine of Rs 1.80 lakh for operating a quarry from an assigned land earlier.

Quarry owners said most of them are slapped with a fine of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh for operating quarries from assigned land. If the fine is not paid, the government imposes an interest rate of 12% per annum on the unpaid amount.

After three notices, the government initiated revenue recovery procedures, they said. "Gopalakrishnan fell into a debt trap running quarries," Shamsuddin said.

'Impounded trucks not returned'
Laterite quarry owners said their protest is joined by truck and machinery owners, as well as quarry workers because their livelihoods are also impacted. One quarry directly employs 20 people, so 400 quarries directly support 8,000 families. Apart from them, there are loading workers, cleaners, machine operators, those running eateries around quarries and above all the masons and workers in the construction sector.

The government would not ban quarrying on assigned land because it also needs laterite stones but prefers to fine quarries arbitrarily, they said.

Quarry owners said in Kannur and Malappuram, once Revenue officials impound trucks or machinery such as earthmovers and stone cutters, they are returned upon paying a fine. "The Revenue officials hand over the trucks to the Geologist who returns the vehicles after imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 for a five-tonne truck and Rs 25,000 for trucks above five tonnes," said Hussain.

But in Kasaragod, quarry owners said Revenue officials send the trucks to village officers, who in turn ship the trucks to the Taluk Office, from where the Tahsildar sends trucks to the Collectorate. In the Collectorate, the trucks get entangled in files. It takes nearly two months to get back our trucks and we have to pay the same fine, they said.

By then the elements would have damaged the trucks and machines, and turned the truck and quarry owners into defaulters. "Banks and 'blades' are threatening me and there are many quarry owners like me," Gopalakrishnan wrote in his suicide note, referring to moneylenders who charge cut-throat interest rates. "If one life is sacrificed to open the eyes of the Collector, the Geologist and revenue officials and help the protest become successful, you will remember me. I know the society will take care of my family," he wrote and signed off, saying: "Please don't stop the protest under any circumstances".