SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee has issued directions for the closure of 158 stone crushers and hot mix plants found operating in violation of environmental norms between January 1, 2021, and January 31, 2026, the government told the Legislative Assembly on the reply to a starred question.
The departmental reply said consents to establish and consents to operate are granted only after the applicant satisfies the siting criteria and demonstrates the adequacy of pollution control devices. It added that consents and renewals have continued to be issued where statutory conditions are met, and that consent-to-operate permissions are routinely renewed subject to compliance. Nonetheless, the committee recorded 158 enforcement directions in the five-year window where units were found non-compliant and ordered their closure for specified periods.
The government told the House that environmental clearances under the EIA Notification, 2006 are not required for the establishment of stone crushers, though river-bed mining projects remain subject to stricter environmental clearance procedures and public consultation. For mining projects, the reply noted, prior environmental clearance and project-specific conditions enforced by the Jammu and Kashmir Environmental Impact Assessment Authority are mandatory where thresholds in the notification are met, and operators must follow Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines and pollution-control measures such as covering material during transport and controlling dust.
The reply also addressed past problems with siting certificates, saying distance certificates issued by field officers are now cross-checked on satellite imagery and GIS platforms to avoid mismatches with on-ground positions. It acknowledged that older approvals — granted before widespread use of remote sensing — may not have been verified against modern GIS tools. For units found to be in violation, legal action has been initiated under applicable environmental statutes, the department said.
On internal accountability, the response stated a departmental enquiry is under way into two employees of the pollution control body in relation to the matter, but that no vigilance or criminal proceedings against staff have been recorded to date. The Assembly papers do not, however, list the names or postings of all operators that received closure directions, nor do they publish a district-wise roll of non-compliant units in the reply text presented to the House.
The government emphasised that the closure directions, satellite verification and environmental safeguards are applied to protect river ecology, prevent pollution linked to illegal mining and ensure compliance with orders of the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court of India. It said enforcement will continue and that project proponents are obliged to meet conditions set out in clearances and in the consent orders issued by the regulator.
