Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed an order from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which stipulated that quarries in the state must be at least 200 metres away from residential areas. According to the state government, this distance was 50 metres.

The NGT had issued the order while considering a petition in Palakkad district. Quarry owners approached the HC questioning this order. They alleged that the NGT had issued the order after hearing only the Environment Department.

On preliminary examination, the HC single bench realised that the NGT order did not hear all parties and stayed the order.

The Kerala government had decided the distance between quarries and residential areas as 50 metres. If this is increased to 200 metres, 95 percent of the quarries in Kerala will have to be closed.