Daring mafia

Rather than acting as a deterrent, the Haryana government’s action against owners of some stone crushers operating illegally in Yamunanagar — and, in all probability, elsewhere too — is proving to be counterproductive. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) had sealed 75 screening plants and stone crushers for violating air and water pollution norms. But several of these units are back in business after breaking the seals. This not only shows the audacity of the erring miners but also smacks of political and administrative patronage. Last May, 89 stone crushers of Yamunanagar had been caught misusing the e-Ravana portal, which was set up to tackle the mafia, but the criminal nexus continues to thrive.

This flagrant flouting of the rules, despite the ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal or the HSPCB and the verdicts pronounced by the courts against unlawful mining, calls for a swift crackdown on the culprits. Otherwise, the very purpose of deploying the government machinery to enforce mining rules and regulations and punish those violating them will be defeated.

There is a bigger cost of the illegal crushing of stones and gravel and quarrying, which The Tribune has been regularly reporting from across the state. Significantly, some hillocks of the Aravallis have been wiped out, irreparably impacting the ecology and biodiversity of the region. Residents of the areas in the vicinity of the polluting units are the worst sufferers as they are grappling with skin, respiratory and other diseases caused by contaminated air and water. 

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#Environment #Pollution #Yamunanagar