M S Nawaz

NAINITAL: After Uttarakhand high court’s stand on stone crushing plants operating in the vicinity of the Ganga in Haridwar district, the state government on Friday submitted in the HC that ban has been imposed on 43 units operating within 5 km of the river.As many as 43 stone crushers within a 5-km radius of Ganga were sealed by the Haridwar district administration on Friday. The administration’s action came after the HC had cracked the whip on the state government on Thursday asking it to reply within 24 hours.A letter dated August 24, 2017 signed by principal secretary, industrial development department stated that the operating of stone crushing units have been stopped with immediate effect from Raiwalato Bhogpur areas of Haridwar district. Ajay Veer Pundir, counsel for the petitioner, said, “The ban will be subjected to the final disposal of the petition. As of now, the units have been barred from any kind of operations.”On Thursday, the court sought replies from chief secretary, secretary, industrial department and district magistrate of Haridwar within 24 hours. On May 3, the HC had ordered the sealing of all stone crushing plants operating near the river. On July 13, 2017 while hearing a contempt application regarding removal of stone crushers and stopping mining activities on the Ganga riverbed in Haridwar district, the HC had asked the state chief secretary to respond within four weeks as to why contempt charges should not be framed against him.Last year, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had passed the order to close these stone crushing plants but no action was taken. A contempt application was then moved in HC by a Haridwar-based petitioner, Brahmachari Dayanand of the Matri Sadan ashram. “Despite repeated orders directing closure of the units, the state had failed to act. I am happy that the court made them stop the stone crushing machines near Ganga,” Dayanand said.According to the petitioner, the court’s order that pertained to stopping of mining from Raiwalato Bhogpur areas of Haridwar district, as well as shutting down of stone crushing plants within a radius of 5 km of Ganga, had not been adhered to by the state government.On May 18, the high court had issued contempt notices to various key officials of the state government regarding illegal mining being carried out in the Ganga riverbed at Haridwar.There are around 60 stone crushing plants in Haridwar district in which most of them are at the bank of the Ganga, which is believed to be the main cause of illegal mining and also results in pollution.“Total 43 stone crushing units have been sealed. We had formed five teams to implement the high court order and a report was also submitted,” said Sangeeta Kannaujia , deputy collector of Haridwar.Meanwhile, Matri Sadan also wants strict action against officials responsible for the contempt of court.“Government and district administration had not implemented the court’s order and it was clear case of contempt of court. Now the question is who is responsible for polluting the Ganga for last one year. Responsibility should be fixed and strict action should be taken,” said Swami Shivanand Saraswati , president of the Matri Sadan Ashram.