Stone-crushing units sitting on a powder keg

The decision of the State government to promulgate an ordinance to regulate stone-crushing units in Karnataka is likely to hit the existing operators really hard.

For, the government has changed its stand and adopted almost all the “rigid” guidelines fixed by the High Court in identifying safer zones for locating the crushing units, fearing action from the judiciary. The court guidelines have been incorporated in the ordinance bill — the Karnataka Regulation of Stone Crushers Ordinance, 2011 — a draft copy of which is available with this paper.

The State Cabinet on Thursday approved the bill and decided to recommend to Governor H R Bhardwaj to promulgate an ordinance.

According to official sources, there is hardly any patch of land available in the State for a safer zone to relocate the existing crushing units. If the High Court guidelines are implemented, a majority of the units have to be closed. That may trigger a crisis in the construction industry as the supply of “jelly” stones and boulders would be hit, sources pointed out.

There are 2,266 stone-crushing units in the State. While 787 of them are located within the quarry lease area, the remaining 1,479 are operating outside the lease area. These units, especially those located outside the lease area, are causing serious damage to environment in the absence of any regulation.

Taking serious note of the damage caused by these units to environment, the High Court had in 1998 directed the government to regulate them by framing a separate policy. It had laid down certain guidelines to identify safer zones and relocate the existing units there.

The court guidelines stipulate that safer zones should be two km from the national highway, habitats, temples, schools and rivers, 1.5 km from the State highway, 500 metres from a link road, eight km from the municipal council office, four km from the district headquarters and two km from the taluk headquarters, one km away from cultivable and forest land.

But the government had found the guidelines impractical to implement. It had, for instance, argued that locating the safer zone one km away from a cultivable land, forest land and inhabited village was not possible. Hence, it had, in March this year, brought out a separate policy, substantially relaxing the High Court guidelines.

The High Court not only struck down the policy and passed strictures on the government, but also fixed September 10 as the deadline for it to rework the policy based on its guidelines. The government had subsequently urged the Centre to come out with a comprehensive policy for the entire country on stone-crushing, but the Union government said it cannot be done in a hurry, sources said.

Hard rules

* Bar on establishing stone-crushing units outside safer zones
* Units should be located on a minimum one-acre land
* Units should abide by all pollution control measures
* Maximum imprisonment of two years and a fine of up to Rs 25,000 for violation of the rules