While Uttarakhand counts the cost of the floods and landslides caused by rains, scientists claim that it was a man-made catastrophe caused by mining and encroachments in the flood zone of the river

BHUBANESWAR: Taking serious note of pollution generated by stone crusher units in the state, Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has directed all district collectors and SPs to keep a tab

Units ordered to close many times, but reopened soon after

It is now the seventh year of protest. But, for the residents of Kenchanakuppe, Dasappana Doddi, Kallagopahalli and Thammanadoddi coming under Kenchanakuppe Gram Panchayat, next to Bidadi, the struggle to get the stone quarrying and crushing units closed continues. About 70 stone crushing units dot these areas and licences for these were cancelled in 2007 and 2009, but the activities in some units continue relentlessly.

The National Green Tribunal, Southern Bench, on Friday ordered notices to the State government and other authorities to file replies on a residents’ welfare association’s application for closure of

The High Court of Karnataka on Monday directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to submit, within a week, a report on the stone crushing units functioning in the State.

During the hearing of a batch of petitions by stone crusher operators, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice Nagarathna directed the KSPCB to furnish details of the stone crushing units operating with the certificate of consent for operation as required under Karnataka Stone Crushers Act.

Thirteen units were operating illegally and one unit was closed down in Sidhra area while 13 others including five stone crushers, have been granted ‘consent to operate’ by the State Pollution Control Board in the same area.

Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology, Mian Altaf while giving reply to the question of PDP member Murtaza Ahmed Khan in the Legislative Council today disclosed that SPCB has granted permission to operate 13 units in Sidhra, Ragoora and Majeen area.

PONDA: Residents of Keri-Ponda are on a chain hunger strike to oppose the deputy collector’s order granting permission to lift mined stones from a quarry at Amadi-Keri.

Opposing the order, several villagers including women on Tuesday decided to block transportation of the mined stones. It may be recalled that the villagers have been opposing the stone quarry and crusher operations, on grounds that the project is illegal. The villagers claimed that the stone crusher was illegally operated in private property without the consent of the property owner and the stone quarry has caused irreparable damage to the environment.