
Uttarakhand HC orders immediate closure of 48 stone crushers in Haridwar
PTI
Nainital, Jul 30 (PTI) The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday ordered the immediate closure of 48 stone crushers operating in the Haridwar region, directing authorities to snap their electricity and water connections immediately.
The court passed the order owing to non-compliance with its earlier directions in this regard.
It also asked the authorities concerned to submit an action taken report regarding the matter within a week.
The matter will be heard next on September 12, the court said.
The order was issued by a division bench of the high court comprising Justice Ravindra Maithani and Justice Pankaj Purohit while hearing a PIL filed by a Haridwar-based organisation called Matri Sadan.
The organisation has been raising the issue of illegal mining along the Ganga river from Raiwala to Bhogpur and in the Kumbh Mela area in Haridwar.
In its petition, Matri Sadan alleged that illegal mining is being carried out in violation of the rules from Raiwala to Bhogpur along the Ganga and even in the Kumbh fair area.
The petition also stated that the National Mission for Clean Ganga under the central government has repeatedly issued guidelines in this regard, but they have been ignored and stone crushers continue to operate, posing a threat to the river.
The court observed that non-compliance with its directions amounts to contempt of court.
The court further directed the district magistrate and senior superintendent of police of Haridwar to disconnect the power and water supply to these stone crushers immediately. PTI ALM ALM KSS KSS
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments
First Published:
July 30, 2025, 22:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
15 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
After Asim Munir, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif threatens India over Indus Waters Treaty
In a fresh threat to India, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the "enemy" would not be allowed to snatch 'even one drop' of water belonging to Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.(AFP file) India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 in 'abeyance' on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Pakistan has repeatedly cautioned that any attempt to block the water flow would be considered an act of war. "I want to tell the enemy today that if you threaten to hold our water, then keep this in mind that you cannot snatch even one drop of Pakistan,' news agency PTI quoted Shehbaz Sharif as saying at a ceremony in Islamabad. The Pakistani prime minister also warned that if India attempted such an act, 'you will be again taught such a lesson that you will be left holding your ears.' There was no immediate comment from India on Shehbaz Sharif's threat. Sharif's statement comes a day after former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made similar comments, terming the Indus Waters Treaty's suspension an attack on the Indus Valley Civilisation and said Pakistan would not back down if India forced it into war. Actor-turned-Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mithun Chakraborty on Tuesday reacted sharply to the Pakistan People's Party chairman's comment and warned that India will respond with a series of Brahmos missiles. His fiery retort was also accompanied by a bizarre one: a dam will be built, and 140 crore Indians will relieve themselves there before that reservoir will be opened to unleash a tsunami in the neighbouring nation. Chakraborty, however, emphasised that he had nothing against the ordinary people of Pakistan who are peace-loving and do not want war and that his ire was directed only at the Pakistani establishment. Meanwhile, in an address to the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, Florida, Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir reportedly said Islamabad would destroy any dam if it cut off water flow to Pakistan. "We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it,' Asim Munir was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. 'The Indus River is not the Indians' family property. We have no shortage of resources to undo the Indian designs to stop the river," he added. Hitting back, the ministry of external affairs said on Monday that Munir's fresh nuclear threat against India reinforced the well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in that country, where the military is "hand-in-glove" with terrorist groups and New Delhi will not give in to any nuclear blackmail. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan's 'stock-in-trade', the MEA said, adding that India will continue to take all steps necessary to safeguard its national security. In an apparent message to the US, the ministry said it is also regrettable that these remarks were made from the soil of a 'friendly third country'. India carried out Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 civilian lives. After four days of heavy cross-border drone and missile exchanges, India and Pakistan agreed on May 10 to end the hostilities. (With inputs from agencies)


News18
24 minutes ago
- News18
Gaza terrorists caught using fake humanitarian logo, vests
Tel Aviv [Israel], August 13 (ANI/TPS): The US-based World Central Kitchen confirmed an Israeli accusation that Palestinian terrorists in Gaza were caught on video impersonating humanitarian aid staff.'WATCH: 5 Armed terrorists operated under the cover of a fake emblem of @WCKitchen placed on a vehicle in Gaza – and were eliminated from the air," tweeted the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). COGAT is a unit of the Israeli Defence Forces that coordinates civilian issues in Judea, Samaria and tweet included aerial footage of armed men wearing yellow response, the WCK tweeted, 'WCK was contacted by Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), and confirmed the vehicle and persons of interest were not affiliated with WCK."WCK added, We strongly condemn anyone posing as WCK or other humanitarians as this endangers civilians and aid workers. The safety and security of our teams are our top priority."A special report by The Press Service of Israel on Thursday in July found that, according to the UN's own numbers, a staggering 85% of the aid entering the Gaza Strip by truck since May 19 has been stolen. The investigation found that a combination of black market profiteers and inflation has made much of the aid in Gaza markets unaffordable for most on Tuesday, an Israeli academic study released by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that humanitarian aid intended to alleviate suffering in war zones often ends up prolonging the very conflicts it seeks to examination of prolonged conflicts in Somalia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Gaza by Hebrew University law professor Netta Barak-Corren and Dr. Jonathan Boxman concluded that aid diversion is not a rare mishap but a systemic feature of the current humanitarian study drew on United Nations reports, NGO records and investigative accounts, documenting how humanitarian agencies often strike informal agreements with local power brokers or armed factions to maintain access. These deals, the authors argue, sometimes contradict the core humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, but are tolerated to keep aid flowing and operations 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead. (ANI/TPS)


News18
29 minutes ago
- News18
Casualties Of Parliament Disruptions: MPs Losing Out On Opportunities In Question Hour, Zero Hour
Last Updated: Out of 210 Zero Hour submissions made by MPs in the Rajya Sabha this monsoon session, only 5 could be taken up For young MPs and old, Question Hour and Zero Hour are critical to raise questions that concern the people of their constituency or state. While Question Hour from 11 am to noon in both houses gives them a chance to get a minister to respond to their questions, the Zero Hour immediately thereafter gives them a chance to raise 'Issues of Urgent Public Importance". Many MPs even have to wait a year or more to get a chance in the Zero Hour. But when Parliament does not function normally, as has been the case in the monsoon session so far, Question Hour and Zero Hour are the first casualties of disruptions. Out of 210 Zero Hour submissions made by MPs in the Rajya Sabha this session, only five could be taken up. Out of 210 starred questions listed in Question Hour, just 14 could be taken up. Many MPs, both from the ruling NDA and the opposition, that CNN-News18 spoke with over the last few days, rued how they had lost out on a chance to raise critical questions in Parliament, which remained in limbo except for the 32-hour discussion on Operation Sindoor. A 'matter of time' But, due to continued disruptions, the Rajya Sabha was able to take up only 14 starred questions, 5 Zero Hour submissions and 17 special mentions. 'Because of the disruptions, we have lost 62 hours and 25 minutes of this session," the Chair noted on Monday. Speaker and deputy chairman's pleas On August 8, as soon as Question Hour began in Lok Sabha, it was rocked by disruptions from the opposition on the special intensive revision (SIR) issue. Speaker Om Birla pleaded to the house: 'Honourable members, I am requesting you again that Question Hour is an important time. Please let the house sit. Your sloganeering is not in accordance with parliamentary traditions. The people of the country are watching this. I am requesting you again, this Question Hour is important." On August 11, the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh, also appealed to the members to let the Zero Hour function. 'I would request you to let Zero Hour run…allow honourable members to avail Zero Hour and Question Hour. You know that both of these are very important instruments for honourable members. These are very important instruments. You don't want these to be discussed?" he said, before adjourning the house. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.