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Environment & Stone crushers Sir, This has reference to Shri Gopal Sharma's write-up about Environment & Pollution Control Board, viz-a-viz, Stone crushers, published in Daily Excelsior dated Nov 21. The write-up gives the feeling as if stone-crushers have sprung up all of a sudden all over the populated areas in and around Jammu and have become a source of pollution for the inhabitants and the owners of the crushers donot take cognizance of Pollution Control Board. I as a law abiding Stone-crusher owner would like to clear some points, aspects that have not been touched in the write-up. It is in the mid saventies that need for more crushers was felt (as then the number was 2 to 3 which included 1 at Janipur of State PWD) as departmental programmes in the city of Jammu had begun to enlarge. To cope up with the demand some enterpreneurs came forward and installed some crushers in Nallahs and Khads that were bereft of habitation and vegetation outside Jammu City, parameters, keeping in view environmental safety. The owners at that time too were conscious of environmental pollution although Pollution Control Board had not taken birth then in the State, all precautionary measures as deemed fit then were taken of their own. Everything was going on normal, but with the migration from Kashmir due to militancy, the scenario of Jammu City changed. The land cost shot up manyfold. The Nallahs and Khads that were considered as wastelands were sold and purchased like hot cakes by the people who were uprooted and wanted to resettle and within a period of about 2-3 years mushroom growth of houses was witnessed, bereft of any rules and regulations, Unplanned colonies sprung up. Even the Govt developed waste-lands, nallahs & Khads to raise Housing Colonies, unmindful of the presence of Stone-crushers at that time. If these are a source of pollution now, why were these not taken care of then. Why was mushroom growth of houses all around allowed. What were the law enforcing agencies doing then? And the result today is that the vast waste-land-areas, nallahs, khads became colonies and the Stone-crushers existing there got engulfed by the brick and concrete jungle. For developmental works, stone-crushers serve as the anchor-block. Had there been no stone crushers, progress would not have been achieved as it is today. Stone-crushers have all-along helped developmental growth in the State. Closing down stone-crushers all of sudden means snatching livlihood of those who are associated with this business and creating unemployment. This is no viable and wise solution; this shall lead to litigation, I am afraid. Enforcing Act is alright; but the Govt should also devise ways and means so that the Stone-crusher owners are re-established to resume their business. The Govt should ear-mark/allocate/identify areas where the Stone-crushers would be provided with alternate land free of cost to re-establish and for the Site/land they vacate, suitable compensation be paid. I, through the columns of this paper, make an appeal to the Govt to consider my proposition and request the crusher-owners to also abide by the rules now enforced. On my part I have already closed down my Stone crusher at Ban Talab. Yours etc... |
