Crusher plants: Villagers block road against unchecked pollution

HARIPUR: The residents of different localities of Khanpur Tehsil on Tuesday blocked the Tarnava Road against the noise and dust pollution and quarrying from the crusher plants in the mountains of Choi village in Khanpur Tehsil.

The traffic remained suspended for over two hours as the protesters, mostly the women and children, staged a sit in.

Khanpur Police said that dozens of residents of different localities, most of them women and children, blocked the Tarnava

Road, suspending vehicular traffic from both sides of the main artery for over two hours.

The protesters were demanding cancellation of lease orders, NOCs of all the stone crushing plants constructed during the last few months.

The villagers claimed that over 10 crusher plants became functional in the hilly area of Choi village and the management was involved in uncontrolled heavy blasting due to which the noise and dust pollution in the area was a common scene and the residents of once scenic valley were exposed to multiple health hazards.

They said that the residents had become vulnerable to lung, ear and eye diseases while quarrying the flying stones have caused damage to the roofs and walls of the houses and left several of the villagers injured.

The district administration and Environment Protection Department were approached and lodged complaints with them many a times about pointing out noise and dust pollution caused by crusher plants but it fell on deaf ears forcing them to stage protests, they added.

They told the media persons that they had taken out protest processions several a time earlier but authorities were still unmoved as the crush plant owners were politically influential. However, the local police headed by DSP Khanpur Jamil Qureshi had reached there and convinced the protesters to end the blockade on the assurance that their complaint would be referred to the provincial government.

DSP Khanpur Jamil Qureshi has confirmed that it was the second time in a week that the residents of Choi village had protested against the dust and noise pollution and heavy blasting by the management of crusher plants.

He said that he had called the management and asked them to abide by the environmental laws as the residents of surrounding localities were facing problems due to dust and heavy blasting for extraction of stone.

Meanwhile, the police in Khanpur have registered criminal cases against the protesters for blocking roads and causing disruption in the flow of traffic on a busy road. However, none of the protesters was arrested so far, the police officials said.