Illegal red soil mining thrives in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: Two decades ago, the foothills near Karadimadai, Kuppanur, Sennanur, and Mugasimangalam on Siruvani Road in Coimbatore were predominantly agricultural.
Multiple crops, including tomatoes, onions, and turmeric, were grown. Today, large pits up to 10 feet deep can be seen in the area, where the rich, fertile soil once used for farming has been excavated for brick kilns.
The rapid urbanization and population growth in the city have driven a high demand for bricks. Seizing this opportunity, brick kilns have proliferated in the area, and illegal mining has become rampant.
When TOI visited Karadimadai and Kuppanur areas on Monday, bricks were being loaded onto vehicles, and another vehicle entered a brick kiln carrying firewood, which is used to operate the kilns. However, brick kilns in the area are not permitted to operate.
Following a high court order, district collector Kranthi Kumar Pati conducted an inspection on Sunday in areas around Thondamuthur, where illegal soil mining has been reported. During the inspection, he ordered the registration of FIRs against the offenders.
Subsequently, the Thondamuthur and Alandurai police registered a case against four individuals involved in illegal red sand mining under Section 303(2) of the BNS Act and Section 21(1) of the Tamil Nadu Mines and Minerals Act, 1957.
A revenue department official said, "We have identified illegal mining activities on poramboke land and patta land in Kalimangalam, near Alandurai."
He said there is no direct access to the foothill areas, so the offenders dumped soil into the stream where water from the hills flows, to facilitate the movement of lorries. "The collector has ordered the access beyond the stream to be blocked, and we have demolished the obstruction and removed the sand from the stream," the official said.
The 78 cents of patta land used for mining belong to Rangan. The land was given to him under conditional patta, but he allowed illegal mining on the land. Based on the collector's orders, the land will be reclaimed by the authorities, he said.
A farmer from Karadimadai said that those involved in red soil extraction typically purchase land near the foothills and use it for brick kilns. "They buy land depending on how accessible the area is for lorries to transport the soil. If the land has proper access, it sells for around Rs 40 lakh per acre. If the access is limited, the price ranges from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh."
G Ranganathan, a member of the state executive committee of the Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, said excessive excavation of red soil leads to rainwater accumulating in the excavated areas, preventing it from flowing into nearby streams. This unchecked soil mining causes irreversible ecological damage and depletes the groundwater table.
"Some farmers allow soil mining on their land because of the financial losses they face in agriculture. The culprits take advantage of the situation by offering the farmers a profitable sum," Ranganathan added.
Ganesh, an activist, said that despite the high court ordering the closure of 326 illegal brick kilns in Coimbatore in 2022, some continue to operate.
"Although forest department staff patrol the foothills daily, where illegal mining occurs, police, revenue department, assistant director of mining, and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board are not taking significant action, likely due to pressure from ruling party politicians in the Thondamuthur area," he said.