In the wake of the devastating landslides in Wayanad, the Kerala High Court, on Thursday, directed the state government to stop the excavation of soil from the steep hills until further orders
A Division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque and Justice S Manu issued the order on a public interest litigation filed by S.Unnikrishnan of Thiruvananthapuram challenging the provision of the Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules.
The petitioner sought to declare section 14(2) of the rules unconstitutional and to give a directive to the State government to make the slope stability report mandatory for granting building permits in the hilly terrain with steep slopes.
The court ordered the principal secretary of the industries department to issue an order directing the geologists not to allow soil excavation from steep hill areas.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the registrar general to register a suo moto case over the catastrophic landslides in Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of Wayanad on July 30, which has claimed the lives of at least 226 persons and displaced thousands of people.
A division bench of justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and V M Syam Kumar registered the case based on media reports of the incident. The bench will consider the matter on Friday.