Tirupattur Villagers Rally Against New Stone Quarry Near Kalliyur

On a quiet morning around 10 a.m., a small but determined crowd gathered on the dusty lanes of Thengal village, just outside Kalliyur. The residents – mostly farmers, a few shop‑keepers and a handful of youngsters – had been keeping a low‑key vigil for weeks, watching trucks and heavy equipment inch closer to the foothills.

“We can’t let them dig up our land,” said R. Sugumar, a farmer whose family has cultivated the same soil for generations. He paused, glanced at the nearby Palar River, then added, “Our groundwater is already thin, the lakes and ponds are our lifeline. A quarry would just dry everything up.” The concern was not abstract; Kalliyur’s 1,200 acres of cultivated fields rely on two lakes and a network of ponds for irrigation.

Villagers from the neighboring hamlets of Madapallam and Malripatti echoed the same worries. They pointed out that the proposed quarry could damage panchayat roads, topple water pipelines, and, worst of all, jeopardise the very water tables that feed their crops. “We’ve already sent petitions to the District Collector,” Sugumar noted, “but nothing’s changed yet.”

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) confirmed that the district already hosts about a hundred quarries, most of them stone‑type operations scattered across Ambur, Kandali, Jolarpet, Natrampalli and Tirupattur itself. While the board said the existing quarries are “well‑connected” to adjoining districts, it offered no reassurance that a new site near the river wouldn’t add extra strain on the environment.

As the protest continued, revenue officials and a contingent of Natrampalli police arrived, not with batons but with a promise to look into the matter. After a brief dialogue – “We’ll forward your concerns, and we’ll keep an eye on the site,” one official assured – the crowd gradually dispersed, still uneasy but hopeful that their voices had been heard.

For now, the land remains untouched, but the tension lingers. The villagers have made it clear: any move that threatens their water, their roads or the very soil they farm will be met with firm, community‑wide opposition.