Stone crusher faces closure for flouting environmental norms

Solan, July 20

The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has directed the Electricity Department to snap the power supply to a stone crusher in Nalagarh over the violation of environmental norms.

The plant operator had violated the norms of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. The unit was being run without a valid consent to operate certificate.

Violated pollution laws

• The plant operator had violated the norms of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
• The unit was being run without a valid consent to operate.

The action was taken following a complaint submitted by a resident on June 16. The Regional Officer, SPCB, Baddi, had earlier inspected the unit last year on July 2 and August 19. A show-cause notice was later issued to the plant in January this year over the non-compliance of various directions.

“The unit did not have a rainwater harvesting tank. A dust collector and extraction system has also not been provided at every transfer point in the plant. It lacked adequate desilting chambers. The plant operator even failed to have the mandatory consent to operate certificate, which is a precondition for the operation of a stone crusher,” said an SPCB official.

Did not possess consent to operate certificate

The unit did not have a rainwater harvesting tank. A dust collector and extraction system has also not been provided at every transfer point in the plant. It lacked adequate desilting chambers. The plant operator even failed to have the mandatory consent to operate certificate, which is a precondition for the operation of a stone crusher. —An official, State pollution control board

The illegal operation of this plant since last year has raised questions on the working of the other regulatory authorities such as the Mining Department and the Police Department, which claims to be keeping tabs on unauthorised mining activities through drones.

Praveen Gupta, Chief Engineer, SPCB, Baddi, said that the plant operator had been directed not to operate the unit using any other source of energy such as diesel generator sets. A penalty of Rs 10,000 would be imposed for non-compliance, besides imprisonment of up to seven years, he added.

Stone crushers operating in the Nalagarh area are doing a brisk business due to a large-scale demand of the quarry material in Punjab.