Thiruvananthapuram: The quarries operating with the permission of the district environmental impact assessment authorities will be closed down once the permit expires. This is due to the expiry of the permit period obtained as per the mining limit of the particular quarry. It has been decided not to extend such permits and this will detrimentally affect the construction sector in the state.

A total of 643 quarries are operating in the state. The operation of about 300 quarries that have obtained permits since 2019 will stop by the end of March. The permits of the remaining 343 quarries will also expire in the next few years. 

There are more than a thousand pending applications for permits in the Mining and Geology authority department. With the closure of the quarries, the construction of the national highway work will also be in crisis. The Chief Minister has directed that the respective district authorities should solve the quarry problems without affecting the NH construction.

However, the state environmental impact study committee and the mining and geology department hold the position that the permits of more than three hundred quarries should not be renewed. 

The CM directed the mining and geology department to hand over the revenue quarries to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for mining. It is estimated that there are 100 revenue quarries in the state.

The deputy director of the mining and geology department said that once the applications of the revenue quarries are received, an inspection will be carried out and objection letters issued.