The Haryana State Pollution Control Board has issued a closure order against M/s Ultimate Group, Sand Minor Quarries of Gyaspur Rasulpur Sand Unit in Ganaur of Sonepat for violating the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. But, the group kept mining even after the environmental control board’s regional officer for the Sonepat region issued orders to suspend the closure.
According to a regional officer of the Haryana state pollution control board, Virender Kumar, the mining period of the group was concluded in September last year and the company had applied twice to restart the mining activities but their proposal was turned down due to lack of documents.
In his words, “Even the pollution board did not give them approval but the mining activities continued there. Even a notice was served to the company but they did not respond to it.”
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According to the closure order, the company did not submit compliance with the refusal of previous consent to operate (CTO). It has also not submitted the CTO fee under the Water Act and the Air Act along with the performance security after the refusal of the previous CTO as per board policy.
“The company neither submitted a sampling fee nor the latest analysis report of groundwater monitoring as well as ambient air monitoring for PM 10, PM 2.5, SO2 from the board lab. It has also not submitted six monthly compliance reports,” the order stated.
Sonepat mining officer Anil Kumar said they had received the closure order of the company on Friday evening and the mining was stopped. The pictures shared by villagers reveal that the mining continued even after the closure orders.
Story was adapted from Hindustan Times
