55 stone crushers in Yamunanagar face show-cause notices for pollution violations
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has issued show-cause notices to 55 stone crushers in Yamunanagar district for failing to comply with the conditions set under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. The units were also found in violation of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) environmental guidelines issued in July 2023 and the Haryana Government’s notification of May 11, 2016.
According to official sources, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had constituted a joint committee comprising representatives from the CPCB, HSPCB, District Forest Office and the District Magistrate of Yamunanagar to inspect these units for compliance with siting criteria and environmental norms. The committee’s inspection revealed multiple deficiencies at the 55 stone crushing units.
The Regional Officer of HSPCB, Yamunanagar, Virender Singh Punia, said: "These units didn’t install dry extraction systems, including bag filters and cyclones at secondary and tertiary crushers; did not cover conveyor belts from node to node with a thick sheet of suitable material; did not provide flexible telescopic chutes from the top of discharge points to the ground level and did not construct a wind-breaking wall, three feet higher than the highest node of the crusher along the periphery."
Other violations included lack of proper roads, ramps, ground maintenance within the premises, absence of a rotating water sprinkling system, foggers or anti-smog guns to suppress dust, failure to plant two-three rows of tall trees around the periphery of the crushing units, not maintaining an hourly logbook of energy consumption for pollution control measures and lack of an interlocking system with a separate energy meter to monitor the regular operation of the sprinkler system.
The HSPCB has warned the defaulters of strict action if they fail to rectify these deficiencies. "If these units fail to rectify the deficiencies, they may be liable for environmental compensation, closure and prosecution," said Punia.
