The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal has directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to adopt stricter standards while granting or renewing Consent to Operate (CTO) for quarrying and mining units across the State.
Delivering the judgement in response to a cluster of cases on quarrying and mining violations, the bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satugopal Korlapati, said that no quarrying activity shall be allowed to continue unless all penalties for past environmental violations are fully recovered.
In the cases addressed in the verdict, violations included non-compliance with mandated safety distances, absence of proper fencing and greenbelt development, failure to implement dust control measures, and extraction beyond approved limits. The Department of Geology and Mining has imposed penalties ranging from a few lakhs to over ₹33 crore, several of which are currently under appeal.
Highlighting the severe environmental and health risks posed by dust emissions from quarrying operations, particularly from activities such as drilling, blasting, excavation, and transportation of materials on unpaved roads, the bench advised TNPCB to impose mandatory conditions such as water sprinkling, greenbelt development, laying of tarred roads, and enclosure of dust-generating equipment before granting any CTO.
The order recommended that project proponents begin greenbelt development at the application stage itself to ensure saplings are adequately grown by the time operations commence.
In its verdict, the bench made it clear the TNPCB must not grant fresh CTOs or renew existing ones unless full compliance with earlier directions and penalties is ensured. It also directed the authorities to initiate recovery proceedings under the Revenue Recovery Act wherever penalties remain unpaid.
