HYDRAA demolishes illegal crushing units

metro india news  I hyderabad 

HYDRAA carried out a large-scale enforcement drive against illegal stone crushing units and unauthorized ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants across Rangareddy district on Tuesday. The operation was conducted based on complaints from the Pollution Control Board (PCB), Mining Department, and Revenue authorities regarding extensive environmental violations and unregulated industrial activity.

Acting on the inputs, HYDRAA teams launched simultaneous operations at four major locations, including Goulidoddi, Vattinagulapally, Gopanpally, and Kotwalguda in Shamshabad mandal. During the drive, eight illegal stone crushing units were completely demolished, 

while partial action was taken against three RMC plants out of a total of 13 identified units. Officials confirmed that the remaining ten RMC units will be taken up in the next phase of enforcement.

The operation was carried out with support from PCB, Mining, and Revenue officials, who provided manpower and machinery assistance. Authorities stated that repeated notices and warnings issued earlier had been ignored, forcing the agencies to initiate strict demolition measures.

Officials noted that several of the units were operating without valid permissions and were allegedly functioning under benami names with backing from influential groups. Most of these illegal establishments were located within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) region, raising serious environmental and regulatory concerns.

The complaint from departments highlighted large-scale ecological damage, including the destruction of natural hill formations and green cover. Continuous stone crushing activity was also reported to be causing heavy dust emissions, contributing to air pollution in surrounding residential areas.

Prominent units identified during the drive included Bhagat Singh Stone Crusher, SVK, Parameshwar Stone, Prithvi, Great India Mining, R Miller, and Tirumala Metal Industries. Several RMC plants linked with major brands such as BSR, UltraTech, and ACC were also found operating in violation of norms.

At Kotwalguda alone, officials observed extensive illegal excavation spread across nearly 16 acres, with about 7 acres of hill terrain already flattened. The Tirumala Metal Industries unit was among those fully demolished during the operation.

HYDRAA officials reiterated that strict action will continue against unauthorized industrial activity harming the environment and violating statutory rules in sensitive zones.

Meanwhile, in the morning, several television channels and digital media platforms flashed breaking news claiming that HYDRAA had taken action against a stone crusher allegedly linked to a minister in the Congress government, also naming the unit and the minister concerned.

However, around three hours later, HYDRAA issued an official clarification note in which there was no mention of any such minister or specific stone crusher connection, stating only general enforcement action against illegal units.