Date | July 20, 2017:

The district mining department has made it mandatory for all the stone quarry companies across the district to take permissions from relative gram sabhas of the particular village, if they want to mine the area or renew their licences. Earlier, the rights were centralised with the district administration. Local villagers, who were often bogged down by the dusty operations, had no say in the issue.

Around Pune, there are over 330 legal stone mines and over 1,500 illegal mines operating in various fringe villages, supplying construction material for the real estate sector.

The administration had received several complaints from the quarryaffected villages. Grievances regarding air pollution, dismal condition of roads and adverse effect on crops and groundwater levels have been regularly reported. There was a major complaint reported recently, wherein it was said that the blasting activities had weakened their houses and the walls were cracking up.

Majority of the quarries are located at the Haveli Tehesil, where the ratio of urbanisation is high due to its close proximity with Pune and Pimpri- Chinchwad. The quarries here are legal. Even though their operations have inconvenienced the neighbouring residents, they can do little about it. They have protested in the past to no avail.

Talking to Pune Mirror, district mining officer, Suyog Jagtap, said, “This order will help reduce the conflict between villagers and mine owners. The rights have been given to gram sabhas and not to the gram panchayat body.”

He added that the department has taken action against 750 illegal quarries with the help of modern technology like the geographic information system mapping and site surveys.

The illegal operations have affected outskirts Pune like Wagholi, Moshi, Lonikand, Yeolewadi, Dhayari and Hadapsar area. There are 188 mines in Khed Taluka, 65 in Junnar, 76 in Ambegaon, 27 in Maval , 29 in Mulshi, 37 in Shirur and 61in Daund taluka.

(Source: http://punemirror.indiatimes.com/)