Furnish list of stone-crushing units flouting norms: NGT to petitioners

Nainital: National Green Tribunal on Thursday asked the petitioners to provide a list of stone crushers who are allegedly flouting several environmental norms in Uttarakhand. The matter has been posted for hearing in next 15 days.
“We will be filing an amendment application with the list of violators and will request to quash the ninth extension given to the stone crushing plants last month,” Dushyant Manali, counsel for the petitioner told TOI.
A petition was filed by three residents of Nainital district on July 25 alleging that more than 500 stone crushers across the state are flouting norms and posing threat to soil, water as well as human beings.
Since the formation of the state, the crusher units have got extension nine times to relocate their plants. The eighth deadline expired on July 31, 2016.
According to the petitioners, the state had framed guidelines in 2002 for setting up of stone crushers but did not mention about the distance which needs to maintained from human habitation. Taking benefit of this lacuna, more than 300 stone crushers were established in or near dense human habitations in the entire state.
The state government in 2007 amended the mining policy after protests from residents.
According to the new guidelines, minimum distance of 500 meters from populated sites (at least 5 families at a place) was required to set up a stone crusher plant. These norms were made applicable to the screening plants as well.
As per clause 3 of the guidelines, the plants running in populated sites should be stopped immediately and the stone crushers running in the habitations are to be relocated with immediate effect.
Later, in July 2008, state amended the crusher policy to provide legal cover to violating plants and a deadline of six additional months was given to relocate plants violating norms.