Basal residents oppose setting up of more stone crushers in village

Residents of the Basal panchayat today met Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal to protest against the resolution passed by their own panchayat to issue no objection certificates (NOCs) for setting up four new stone crushers near the tributary of Swan river running in the village. They alleged that three stone crushers were already functional in the village and additional four crushers would cause more pollution that would affect the health of locals.

Residents Surinder Chinda and Vivek Kumar requested the DC to cancel the NOCs issued by the Panchayat, failing which they would be forced to sit on a dharna. They said stone dust from the crushers had already raised the pollution level to a great extent, leading to breathing problems, adding that the situation would be unbearable if four more stone-crushing units were installed in the village.

After allegations of illegal mining which was causing damage to the environment, a team of the National Green Tribunal had visited Basal village in June 2021 to assess the situation. After a visit to a Swan river tributary and stone-crushing units installed in the village, the three-member team, led by a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, had given a whole list of dos and dont’s to the state government to help mitigate the damage being caused to the environment.

Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal assured the villagers that he would summon the panchayat records and investigate the matter. He said public safety and protection of the environment were high on the agenda of the government and the district administration.