The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) stated that stone crusher units operating in parts of the Aravalli region in Mahendragarh district caused no health hazards or environmental rule violations. The board dismissed claims that these plants cause dust pollution.The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) stated that stone crusher units operating in parts of the Aravalli region in Mahendragarh district caused no health hazards or environmental rule violations. The board dismissed claims that these plants cause dust pollution. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ Representational image)In its detailed reply based on a ground survey filed before the NGT principal bench in response to a suo motu cognisance, the HSPCB clarified that no mining leases exist in three villages identified in a news report on dust pollution in the Aravallis published in August last year.The HSPCB stated that the three villages in Mahendergarh district, Meghot Binja, Dholera, and Khatoli Ahir, do not have any mining leases, while blasting operations, wherever carried out, are done only after obtaining necessary permissions from the directorate general of mines safety and environmental clearances.According to the reply, a joint committee constituted by the NGT comprising CPCB, HSPCB, and district magistrate, Mahendragarh, had inspected all stone crusher units in the district in February 2026. The committee observed that the units had provided adequate measures to control dust emissions. In response to concerns over respiratory diseases, the chief medical officer, Narnaul, organised health camps in these villages.The reply mentioned that the assistant mining engineer, Narnaul, reported that no FIRs related to illegal mining were registered in these villages between 2023 and 2025-26.“No new mining leases have been granted in the Aravalli region of the district after the Supreme Court order dated May 9, 2024. All stone crusher units fall under the orange category,” reads the 56-page reply.It mentioned that there are 12 stone crusher units operating in Dholera village and nine units in Khatoli Ahir village and no stone crusher units are located in Meghot Binja village. Even the board’s report clarified that all units have installed adequate air pollution control measures as per the stone crusher notification issued by the Haryana environment department and regular inspections are carried out, and action is taken against non-compliant unitsThe report also mentioned that four health camps were held in Dholera, Khatoli Ahir villages and nearby areas and 150 people were screened out of a population of around 2,573 in the camps as 11 cases of hypertension, four of diabetes, three of asthma, 11 presumptive TB cases were identified for sputum testing, with one active TB case put on treatment. Even the broader screening across multiple zones showed higher numbers of hypertension and smoking-related issues, but relatively low COPD and asthma cases in the crusher workforce clusters.Besides, the Haryana Water Resources Authority (HWRA) conducted inspections and found that stone crusher units were using treated water supplied by the public health engineering department for plantation and water sprinkling. Only two units had obtained permission for groundwater extraction, mentions the reply filed through Narnaul regional officer Vijay Chaudhary Narnaul.It stated that the issue of stone crushers in Mahendragarh had earlier been examined by the NGT in other cases, and a joint committee is monitoring compliance with siting criteria and consent to operate conditions.