PROS AND CONS OF GRANITE QUARRYING IN

TAMILNADU

Introduction:
A quarry is a place from which dimension stone, rock, construction
aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate has been excavated from the ground. A quarry is the
same thing as an open-pit mine from which minerals are extracted. The only non-trivial
difference between the two is that open-pit mines that produce building materials and
dimension stone are commonly referred to as quarries. Quarrying is the business,
occupation, or act of extracting useful material (such as building stone) from quarries.

.
Granite Quarrying:
Granite forms from the slow crystallization of magma below Earth's surface. It is
composed mainly of natural quartz and feldspar with subtle amounts of mica, amphiboles,
and other organic minerals.

The
mineral composition of granite usually gives it a red, pink, grey, or white color with dark
mineral grains visible throughout the rock, although there are many types of extraordinary
granites that include colors like blue, green, black, and gold. A controlled explosion is
normally used to release the rock from the working face is granite quarrying.

Places in Tamilnadu:
 Jubilee Granites-Chennai
 God Granites-Beemandapali(Krishnagiri)
 Tamilnadu Minerals Limited-Bevanurmalai(Dharmapuri)
 Tamin Central Workshop-Salem
 Blue Line Granites-Coimbatore
 Gem Granites-Chennai
 Jeevan Granites Mines-Madiyanallur(Pudhukottai)
 Ambhika Granites-Krishnagiri
 Sivakasi Yellow Granites-Sivakasi
 Preetham Granites Pvt. Limited-Madurai
 CVS Granites-Madurai
Positives:
 Quarries provide jobs in the countryside.

 Some stone is exported to other countries, which help the UK economy.

 Jobs in quarries also help local economies, because the workers spend their
money in local shops and businesses.
Negatives:
 Quarries produce dust and noise.

 Digging a quarry destroys habitats for wildlife.

 Quarries spoil scenery (although are usually reshaped after quarrying has finished and
can become wildlife reserves or recreation areas.

 Lorries taking the limestone away cause extra traffic, noise and pollution.

 The disadvantage of granite is its heavy weight; it refers to materials which are most
difficult to process.

 The Granite Scam was a corruption scandal that occurred in Tamil Nadu, India. [1] It

gained notoriety after former civil servant of Madurai Ubagarampillai Sagayam wrote
a letter to the chief secretary of the State Industries Department[2] on 19 May 2012,
reporting major violations by many granite quarries in the Madurai district, estimating
a loss of more than sixteen thousand crore rupees (~2.5 billion USD) to the
state exchequer.
 Some officials of the state-owned Tamil Nadu Minerals Limited (TAMIN) were
accused of colluding with companies such as Mojang, allowing them to commit
violations.
Conclusion:
The environmental impact of mining includes erosion, formation of sinkholes, loss of
biodiversity, and contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by chemicals
from mining processes. Some mining methods may have significant environmental and
public health effects. Quarrying had created Bad Lands and the strategy of reclaiming the
same through re-vegetation on the quarried areas proved unsuccessful. The high noise level
posed an occupational health threat to the workers who routinely avoided wearing protective
gears. They should be made to adorn them. The noise from explosives was also strong
enough to damage infrastructure as seen from the cracked walls of the Forest’s Dept. Offices.
Explosives will continue to be used in the quarry operations and, as such, future infrastructure
development near the quarry should be avoided.

References:
 www.lomprosecnice.cz/en/useful-information-wp000010.html
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316441532_Stone_Quarrying_and_
Livelihood_Transformation_in_Peri-Urban_Kumasi
 https://getrevising.co.uk/grids/advantages_and_disadvantages_of_quarrying
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite_scam_in_Tamil_Nadu
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarry
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285973861_The_Effects_and_Impacts_of_
Quarrying