2 stone crushers running illegally in Doda

Jammu, January 14

Even as the J&K Government asked around 600 illegal stone crushers in Doda to stop working till they obtain licences and complete other formalities, a few of these have been found operating illegally.

Of the two stone crushers, one belongs to BJP MLA Shakti Raj Parihar while the other is of a local businessman. These are operating illegally during night hours to mint money.

Both the stone crushers are situated in the Bagh area of Ghat near the Chenab and were established illegally by the owners without getting a no-objection certificate from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB). Now, when the government has issued a Sadr-e-Riyasat Ordinance (SRO) asking stone crusher owners to obtain licences and complete the legal formalities, these are still running on their own whims and fancies.

“Both of these crushers start working after 10 pm when no one’s around. They run till the first light of the day and sell gravel and dust during night hours only. Not a single official of the district administration has visited the area to stop the illegal activity,” said a local, wishing anonymity. As per the government data, around 600 illegal stone crushers are operational in the state. Most of the crushers, situated on highways, have stopped their operations but these two crusher owners are not adhering to the directions of the state government as one of the two crushers belong to a local MLA and the second one belongs to a local businessman in whose house the State Pollution Control Board’s divisional offices have been established. — TNS