Himachal govt orders immediate closure of stone crushers near Beas river

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to immediately stop the operations of all stone crushers on both perennial and non-perennial rivulets of the Beas river basin and its tributaries, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday.

The decision has been taken after considering the alarming transformation of the ecosystem during the current monsoon which saw excessive heavy rainfall and landslides, wreaking havoc downstream in the Beas river basin and its tributaries in Kullu, Mandi Kangra and Hamirpur districts besides Chakki rivulet in district Kangra, an official statement issued here said.

It said the decision will ensure the safety of human settlements and infrastructure and to preserve the fragile ecology and environment of the state.

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

Sukhu said directions had been given to the Department of Environment, Science and Technology and Climate Change to convene a high-level consultation meet inviting experts from IITs, NITs, RandD Institutions and universities to identify the factors which led to such a disastrous situation in the state.

He 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.