Dharamsala: 47 of 129 closed stone crushers allowed to resume operations

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, November 22

The Industries Department has allowed 47 of 129 stone crushers, which were closed following flashfloods in the Beas during the last monsoon, to resume operations.

As per the orders issued by the department, a multi-sector expert committee of the departments of environment, sciences, technology and climate change constituted to study the impact of illegal mining by stone crushers in the Beas river basin had recommended that 50 crushers should be allowed to start operations, as their permissions had been found to be in order. However, the Industries Department withheld permission to three of these 50 stone crushers to restart operations due to incomplete formalities.

Highly-placed sources told The Tribune that the expert committee could visit only 50 of the 129 closed stone crushers. The Industries Department was mulling to form another committee to visit the remaining stone crushers. After the government banned mining in the Beas river basin, the Mining Department had ordered the closure of 129 stone crushers in the state, 82 alone in Kangra district, including 56 in Nurpur subdivision. The government has now allowed 19 of the 56 stone crushers closed in Nurpur to resume operations. All these crushers are operating in the Beas river basin along the Punjab border.

As many as 19 stone crushers were closed in Hamirpur district, eight in Una district and 20 in Mandi district, all of them functional in the basin of the Beas or its tributaries.

After the stone crushers shut operations, the prices of sand and gravel in Kangra district skyrocketed from about Rs 25-Rs 30 per cubic feet to Rs 70 per cubic feet. Government and private contractors in Kangra had been complaining about the rise in the prices of sand and gravel.

In Kangra district, the maximum damage was caused due to floods in the Beas. Thousands of people were evacuated with the help of the Indian Air Force and the NDRF. People lost their agriculture land, orchards and houses. The residents of Indora and Nurpur allege that their houses were flooded after the Beas changed its course due to illegal mining.

The issue of stone crusher owners indulging in illegal mining had been raised in the Himachal Assembly several times in the past. Former Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari during the stint of the previous BJP government had expressed concern over politically-influential people owning most of the stone crushers and dictating mining policies in the state.

Go-ahead by expert panel

• Stone crusher allowed to operate on the recommendation of an expert committee
• The committee has visited just 50 stone crushers. The visit to remaining 79 closed stone crushers still pending
• The Industries Department is mulling to form another committee to visit the remaining stone crushers
• As many as 19 out of 56 stone crushers in Nurpur permitted to resume opeations

Prices of sand, gravel HAD skyrocketed

After the stone crushers shut operations, the prices of sand and gravel in Kangra district skyrocketed from about Rs 25-Rs 30 per cubic feet to Rs 70 per cubic feet. Government and private contractors in Kangra had been complaining about the rise in the prices of sand and gravel.