Haryana tightens norms for new crushers in 3 districts

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, November 16

Aiming to curb pollution, the Haryana Environment and Climate Change Department has barred the setting up of new stone crushers outside the identified zones in Faridabad, Palwal and Gurugram districts.

Listing new norms for setting up crushers, the department, in a draft notification, said the minimum distance from the nearest national or state highway must be 500 metres, 5 km from the National Capital Territory of Delhi and 2 km from the limits of the nearest municipal corporation. The distance should be 500 metres from any educational institution, 1 km from any hospital or wildlife sanctuary and 2 km from a national park. The existing crusher zones and their extensions, however, would not be affected by the new norms, said the notification dated November 11. “The draft notification has invited objections and suggestions within 30 days,” said Pradeep Kumar, Director (Environment) and Member Secretary, State Pollution Control Board.

Within a year of the notification, the existing crushing units have to ensure pollution control measures such as laying of tiles in their premises, fully covering their conveyors and installing fogger machines. They must construct and maintain metalled roads for vehicular movement within the premises of the crushing units. The crushers have to have in place 50 sprinklers along with a water storage facility of a minimum 10 kilolitre capacity. They must sprinkle at least 10 kilolitres of water daily for crushing capacity of 100 tonnes.