It is a scam that has powerful people on the run, and senior bureaucrats under investigation.

An official estimate of the scale of the illegal quarrying of granite and its export from Madurai is yet to emerge, though figures of Rs 16000 crore and Rs 35000 crore are doing the rounds.

The man responsible for unearthing the scam, which has reportedly been going on for years, is Ubagarampillai Sagayam, the former district collector of Madurai.

Text: Indulekha Aravind, Business Standard

Image Courtesy: Ubagarampillai Sagayam