PERNEM: Expressing shock over Saturday’s tragic incident wherein four school students met a watery grave in laterite quarry at Tuem, locals have blamed the authorities for allowing illegal mining.
This is the second such incident reported in Tuem and the fourth in Pernem taluka where deaths due to drowning in laterite quarries have been reported.
It may be recalled that two years ago, a Std XIIth student from Parsem had drowned when he along with his friend had gone to the quarry. In 2008, a Corgao resident met a watery grave while the third victim was from Palyem.
“Leave aside the laterite quarries located in Tuem which are illegal, there are many more in Parsem, Corgao, Keri, Palyem, Mopa and Dhargal which are not filled with mud and are totally unsafe as they are not fenced. The laterite quarries in Mopa, Dhargal and Tuem are in government property,” the locals alleged.
They claimed that these quarries get filled during the monsoon and their depth cannot be measured. Not only school students but youth too get attracted to these quarries to party and for swimming.
Uday Mandrekar, a social activist said, “The quarries need to be fenced to ensure safety of the people. The concerned authorities have turned a blind eye to these illegal quarries, which get filled during the monsoon. And the accumulated water in these quarries attracts youth. The government should conduct an inquiry into the Saturday’s incident on priority to avoid such tragedies in future”.
Local MLA Dayanand Sopte said, “Before the next monsoon, I will request the government to ensure that the concerned authorities including the Mamlatdar and Deputy Collector conduct a survey of all the laterite quarries in Pernem taluka and identify the owners and get the quarries filled up before rains. From now, I will urge the Mines Department to issue licences to those following the rules and regulations while carrying out laterite mining”.
Meanwhile, Pernem PI Harish Madkaikar said, “The post-mortem on the two boys has been conducted and the bodies have been handed over to their families. However, the families have preserved the bodies. The post-mortem on two natives of Mumbai is not yet conducted. We are waiting for their relatives to arrive”.
