Threat to Telangana waterfall from stone-crushers, hot mix plant

There are times when even governments can look helpless. The controversy surrounding the establishment of a highly polluting stone crusher and a hot mix plant close to the pristine Pochera waterfall in Adilabad district is an example of this in the State.

The State government seems to be unable to make its writ run as entrepreneurs dump stone crushing and hot mix plant machinery and building material in huge quantities at the site, despite the cancellation of the no-objection certificate issued by the revenue authorities and being orally warned against carrying on their operations.

Cancellation of NoC

The cancellation of the NoC came in early March but the Mines and Geology Department, which had given permission to quarry stone in the vicinity of the waterfall, has not bothered to cancel the permit.

The NoC was cancelled following an inquiry by Revenue and Mines and Geology authorities themselves. This report had pointed out to several lacunae but the severest of them was the possibility of harm that would be caused to environment and agriculture fields by the polluting unit.

Owing to pressure, the administration ordered another inquiry, this time by the Utnoor Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Project Officer R.V. Karnan, who is an IAS officer. The inquiry report, which also found fault with the way the stone crusher and hot mix plant were being established and the damage to environment, was submitted to the Collector about 20 days ago but nothing has come of it so far.

The issue of damage to the environment came to light only in February.