more-inThe Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Madras High Court order to freeze sand quarrying in the State within six months, besides a ban on opening new quarries. A Bench, led by Justice Madan B. Lokur, agreed with the State’s point of view that the High Court order did not take into consideration the “demand and supply position” of the material while passing the stay order. The Tamil Nadu government, represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and Yogesh Kanna, said a complete end to sand quarrying would be a recipe for disaster. Importing sand would be a major drain on funds and would hit the construction industry and the end-buyer. In its special leave petition, the Tamil Nadu said the High Court failed to appreciate that the government itself runs these quarries after due environmental clearances.

Source: The Hindu February 05, 2018 19:30 UTC