Rs 65 lakh green compensation imposed on 9 stone crushers

Ravinder Saini

Mahendragarh, February 1

Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has imposed Rs 65.81 lakh environmental compensation on nine stone crushing units in the district’s Nangal Choudhary area for violating green norms.

Sources said all the units were found violating environment norms during surprise inspections carried out by officials of HSPCB and Forest Department in the past few months following a National Green Tribunal (NGT) directive.

“It is mandatory for every stone crushing unit to provide wind breaking wall of adequate height and length and install adequate numbers of covered sheds with water sprinklers on its premises to keep the dust grounded, while every unit is also bound to develop green belt with ample number of trees in its periphery but these conditions were not being followed by the units when teams of district officials inspected them,” said an HSPCB official.

Sources said dust emissions from the stone crushers were not only putting an adverse effect on the environment leading to crop yield loss and devastation of vegetation, but also posing a serious threat to human health.

Several residents of villages located near such units were suffering from skin and other allergic diseases. Following the reason, local residents had raised the issue before authorities.

Krishan Kumar Yadav, Regional Officer (HSPCB) at Narnaual, told ‘The Tribune’ that the environmental compensation ranged between Rs 3 lakh to Rs 12 lakh. “Majority of the stone crushers had deposited the compensation. Hence, their plants had been de-sealed,” he added.

“There is a set criteria to calculate environmental compensation on the basis of time period. The time starts when a plant is sealed on finding any violation and concludes when a specific parameter is fulfilled. The compensation was slapped for a time period of three to six months,” he said.