Chennai, August 10:
The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to respond to a petition challenging its decision to impose a three-month ban on transporting minerals from the State to other States.
The State government had, on July 9, amended the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage Rules with the objective of ensuring uninterrupted supply of construction materials such as rough stone and jelly for infrastructure and urban development works, and to curb artificial price escalation.
Based on the amended rules, the government issued an order prohibiting the transport of rough stone and jelly to other States for a period of three months, except to Karaikal and Puducherry.
Challenging this order, petitioner Madhu Premanathan moved the High Court seeking to quash the government order and declare the amended rules invalid.
When the matter came up for hearing before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the amended rules require the assent of the President. It was further contended that minerals legally mined under valid licences are the property of the petitioner, who has the right to decide where to sell them, and therefore the three-month restriction should be stayed.
After hearing the submissions, the Bench directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its response within two weeks and adjourned the case for further hearing.