11 illegal stone crushers to lose power in Nurpur

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 7

The Mining Department has finally ordered the power department to sever connections of 11 stone crushers at Nurpur in Kangra for not paying penalty to the state government for extracting material illegally.

There are about 40 stone crushers in Kangra district and 60 in other parts of the state that owe about Rs 150 crore to the government.

Mining officials said of the 40 defaulting stone crushers, many had stopped production. The remaining 11 that were still functional would face action. The recovery of Rs 150 crore has been pending with the state government since months. 

Highly placed sources in the department said since stone crusher owners were not paying penalty despite the fact that their plea had been rejected in the Supreme Court, the government should have ordered their closure. Many stone crushers were owned by ruling party MLAs or office-bearers of the party.

Forty stone crushers owe Rs 80 crore as penalty for illegal mining. Interestingly, many stone crusher owners are still being allowed to operate by the authorities.

In Kangra district, most of the violating stone crushers are in Nurpur. The mining officer had issued notices to the violating stone crushers to deposit the penalty.

Since the BJP government took over, power connections of 25 illegal stone crushers were severed. The power connections of seven were restored after they completed the papers. 

Owe Rs 150 crore 

• There are about 100 stone crushers that owe about Rs 150 crore to the government
• Of the 40 defaulting stone crushers in Kangra, many had stopped production
• The remaining 11 that are still functional face action
• The recovery of Rs 150 crore has been pending with the state government since months.
• Many stone crushers were owned by ruling party MLAs or office-bearers of the party.