Himachal stops operation of stone crushers in Beas river basin

SHIMLA: The government has decided to stop the operation of all stone crushers on both perennial and non-perennial rivulets of the Beas river basin and its tributaries till further orders, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu said here on Wednesday.

The decision was taken taking into consideration the alarming transformation of the ecosystem during the current monsoon, wreaking havoc downstream in the Beas river and its tributaries in Kullu, Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur districts, besides Chakki rivulet in Kangra.

The decision has been taken to ensure the safety of human settlements and infrastructure, to preserve the fragile ecology and environment of the state, an official statement said.

However, the lease of legal mining has not been cancelled.

The Chief Minister said the existing captive and temporary stone crushers shall not come under the purview of this order.

He said directions had been given to the Department of Environment, Science and Technology and Climate Change to convene a high-level expert consultation to identify the factors which formed such a disastrous position.

The Chief Minister said the department will also conduct a comprehensive scientific study by constituting a multi sectoral expert committee to evaluate the cumulative impact of unscientific and illegal mining activities and also assess to redefine distance limits as based on the findings, thereby allowing more effective regulation and management of such operations to preserve the environment in river system and to avoid any such anthropogenic induced disasters in the state.