Mar 25 2016 : The Times of India (Chennai) Vellore village decides to boycott polls When the government and officials are not bothered about our safety and livelihood, then  why should we take part in the elections and vote?” asked a group of villagers. Shanmughasundaram J Vellore:   Residents of Peru mugai panchayat in Vellore constituency have been wag ing a war against stone quar ries in the village for more than two decades. With al their efforts to close down the quarries failing, they are now threatening to boycott the as sembly election.The villagers sent a pet ition to Chief Election Officer Rajesh Lakhoni on Thursday stating that they decided to boycott the assembly election Several residents of the pan chayat, which has around 2,500 voters, have signed the petition to exhibit solidarity. The villagers, in the pet ition, stated that they have been demanding the closure of the stone quarries that have severely affected their livelihood and the environment, since 1994. Nonetheless, the government and authorities have turned a blind eye to their anguish, forcing them to boycott the election, they said. The money and muscle power of the contractors and politicians, who run the quarries, is a threat to the villagers' safety. Though the villagers petitioned the district collector, mines and minerals department, chief secretaries, chief minister special cell, police and political leaders numerous times since 1998, the quarries continue to flourish.“At 15 persons were killed in quarry-related accidents since the quarries were opened here,“ said an elderly woman. Murugan Kovil and Ponniyamman Kovil atop the Perumaladi hill have also borne the brunt of blasting and quarrying activities. “ The idol of the presiding deity (Lord Murugan) of the temple developed cracks due to excess use of explosives in quarries. We removed the damaged idol from the temple two years ago,“ said a retired government staff. The villagers also charged that the contractors were colluding with the officials and the panchayat president and reportedly smuggled tonnes of gravels and red sand. “The contractors are not permitted to transport the gravel and red sand from the quarry . But they have been smuggling not less than 50 loads (around 500 units) of minerals per day in the last 10 to 15 years. One unit of gravel is sold at `1,200, “ alleged a villager.