The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the limestone mining companies, currently operational in HP’s Sirmaur district, to ensure that no air or noise pollution is caused during the transportation of mined material. Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi has asked the HP Pollution Control Board (HPPCB) to file a report on the status of environmental clearances given to the mining companies within the next two months. He also directed it to issue notices to mining companies involved in transportation of mined material to ensure compliance with the recommendations made by the NGT’s joint committee.
A resident of Paonta Sahib, Sachin Sharma had filed a petition in October last year, stating that a large number of overloaded trucks carrying limestone from quarries at Banor village of Sirmaur district have been causing air and noise pollution in the area. The NGT had directed to form a joint committee comprising the director, mines and geology, transport commissioner and Sirmaur deputy commissioner and asked them to inquire into complaint. The committee had visited the sites on November 15 last year and submitted their report to the NGT on February 7, 2023.
As per the report, Banor has four limestone mines operational in an area of 14.6 hectares, with a capacity of 3.47 lakh MT per year. It said that on an average, 30 trucks transport limestone from the mining sites to warehouses in Gorkhuwala and Purnwala in Paonta Sahib tehsil daily, covering a road distance of around 25 kms. All trucks had tarpaulins but the roads were not good and required maintenance, it said. It also met the members of local truck unions and issued directions not to overload vehicles with limestone so that no air pollution is caused. To minimise the dust, it had also asked the mining firms to arrange for sprinkling of water on the route limestone is transported.
