New rules to tighten noose around stone crusher units

The newly implemented rules and SOP mandate strict compliance from operators, with any violation resulting in cancellation of registration

- POST NEWS NETWORK

Illegal stone crushers operating along a stretch of National Highway 53—from Chandikhole Dak Bungalow Square to Chad-heidhara—continue to pose grave risks in Jajpur district.

Several crusher units, extracting and processing black stone without proper permission, have led to recurring hazards claiming labourers’ lives, and law and order concerns in the region.

Taking serious note of this issue, the State government’s Steel and Mines department has prepared a new set of rules and a fresh Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the registration of stone crushers. As per the May 5 directive issued by Additional Secretary Daulat Chandrakar to the Director of Minor Minerals, the new rules mandate strict compliance from operators, with any violation resulting in cancellation of registration.