Quarrying crisis in Tamil Nadu’s Uthiramerur leaves residents in distress

If one were to have a bird’s eye view of Uthiramerur taluk in Kancheepuram district, it would possibly be a canvas of grey with small patches of green. However, it was not like this in the not-so-distant past. A vast portion of the land known for its kuda olai system of election and bewitching temple architecture is “greying”, thanks to a large number of granite quarries and crushing units. Almost every tree and plant, roads, mud on the roadsides, and crops in the fields have turned grey in and around villages including Siruthamur, Pazhaveri, Arungundram, Pazhaya Seevaram, Alanjeri, and Thirumukkudal, thanks to quarrying and stone crushing units that make M-sand. On a cloudy, still afternoon in November, the roads around these units feel eerie, and the trees seem frozen as if petrified.