Himachal Pradesh High Court Orders Notice in Stone Crusher-Linked Illegal Mining Case
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 10 (Diary Times): The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government, the Pollution Control Board, and two stone crushers owned by the MLA from Doon to respond to allegations of illegal mining and environmental violations. The petition, lodged by Krishna Kumar, raises concerns over the operations of these crushers in the Baddi, Barotiwala, and Nalagarh areas of Solan district, asserting that they are functioning in violation of established regulations.
The petitioner has raised serious allegations against the stone crushers, claiming that they renewed their leases without obtaining the required no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board or securing the necessary pollution clearance. Furthermore, it is alleged that rather than operating a single crusher, these companies have set up multiple crushers on the same premises, significantly expanding the scale of their mining activities.
The petition alleges that these stone crushers are extracting massive quantities of minerals far exceeding the initially approved limits, employing hundreds of trucks for transportation rather than the ten to twenty trucks originally authorized. The petitioner has requested a thorough inspection of the crusher units, including M/s Shiv Bhole Stone Crusher, M/s Kundlas Stone Crusher, Rama Stone Crusher, M/s Gupta Stone Crusher, and M/s Doon Stone Crusher, all located in Haripur Sandoli Tehsil, Nalagarh.
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The petitioner has also called for the installation of CCTV cameras at each crusher site, along with the establishment of check posts and measurement bridges to monitor and regulate the extraction and transportation of mining materials. Additionally, the petitioner has urged the creation of similar check posts at the Punjab border to prevent the illegal movement of mining materials into the neighboring state, which is believed to be causing considerable financial losses to Himachal Pradesh.
The petition also brings attention to more than 200 complaints from local residents regarding illegal mining and unregulated activities by pharmaceutical companies in the region. According to the petitioner, these concerns have been largely ignored by the relevant authorities. Furthermore, the petitioner expressed frustration over delays in the issuance of no-objection certificates (NOCs) for pharmaceutical companies and raised allegations of misconduct by the Regional Pollution Control Officer in Baddi.
On May 23, 2024, the petitioner submitted a formal request to the Superintendent of Police in Baddi, urging immediate action to stop illegal mining activities and to set up check posts and weigh bridges. Despite this appeal, no steps were taken, leading the petitioner to file a legal petition seeking intervention.
Following the preliminary hearing, Justice Sandeep Sharma directed notices to several government officials, including the Principal Secretaries of Industries and Home, the Director of Industries, the State Geologist, and others, requiring them to respond to the petition within four weeks. This move comes in response to growing concerns about the increasing illegal mining activities and their detrimental effects on both the environment and the state’s revenue.
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