Ministry Issues Stop Order Against Deep Illegal Calodyne Rock Excavations

An open conflict has erupted in Calodyne between Mauritius’s Ministry of Environment and a local landowner, following the issuance of an official “Stop Order” against ongoing excavation works.

The Ministry issued the emergency order after inspector descriptions revealed unpermitted excavations between five and ten metres deep, causing severe dust, heavy noise, and significant disruption to the site’s topography.

Environment Minister Rajesh Bhagwan firmly shut down the operation, stating simply: “Enough is Enough.”

The Core Dispute

Authorities have classified the scale of the development as illegal “rock quarrying”—an activity that strictly requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) license, which the project lacks.

The enforcement action escalated on 21 May 2026 during a joint site inspection by the Ministry of Environment, the Geotechnical Unit, and the Environmental Police.

When officials attempted to serve the Stop Order immediately to the landowner, the contractor, and the excavator operator, all three individuals refused to officially receive the document.

Consequently, the Ministry had to deliver the notice via postal mail and by physically posting it on the site.

Landowner Hits Back

The landowner has strongly rejected the government’s classification, branding the state’s intervention as “relentless victimization”.

He maintains the site is a standard plot clearance being prepared for the construction of a boundary wall, rather than a clandestine quarry.

Defending the legality of the works, the owner argues that:

• No EIA is required: He claims surface “derocking”—the mechanical removal of surface rocks—does not legally require an EIA permit, a position he states was validated by the local district council.
• Wildlife claims were cleared: Initial environmental objections focused on the alleged presence of a habitat for the paille-en-queue (the protected white-tailed tropicbird), but he claims subsequent verifications proved there was no nesting on the site.
• Timeline allegations are “absurd”: He refutes claims that the nuisance has lasted “several years,” noting he only acquired the land in 2025 and that the works were scheduled to last just 15 days.

Facing mounting financial losses and project delays due to the forced shutdown, the landowner has confirmed that a legal appeal is currently under review.

Serial Environmental Offence Allegations

The Ministry of Environment’s firm stance is heavily supported by the history of the site’s active contractor, S.O.S Pride Co. Ltd.

According to government records, the company is well known to environmental services, having already been hit with two prior Stop Orders in April 2024 and July 2025 for conducting similar unauthorized works in the north of the island. Minister Bhagwan indicated this corporate profile justified the strict institutional response.

Criminal Escalation

The administrative battle is now transitioning into a potential criminal prosecution.

Following intelligence reports indicating that excavation machinery kept operating in direct defiance of the government shutdown, the Environmental Police filed an official criminal complaint at the Grand-Gaube police station.

Under Mauritian law, violating a formal Stop Order constitutes a punishable offence, significantly raising the stakes in this ongoing standoff.

Source: Defi Media