PESHAWAR: Illegal installation of stone crushing units in the surroundings of Abbottabad city and encroachments are damaging the natural beauty of the historic hill station.

A meeting was informed here the other day that mushroom growth of stone crushing plants in Gomawan, Chona, Shimla Hills, Sheran Road, Murree Road and Thandyani had not only affected greenery of the hills, but also caused worst dust and noise pollution in the area.

The residents have been suffering from noise and dust pollution, said an official statement.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani chaired the meeting, which was also attended by CM’s adviser on mines and minerals Arif Ahmadzai and senior officials of the concerned department.

Mr Ghani told the meeting that Abbottabad was very important from the tourism point of view, but the installation of stone crushing machines was damaging beauty of the town. He said that the movement of heavy machinery was also damaging road infrastructure of the town.

He said that stone crushing machines were also posing a threat to gravity flow project from Chona to Abbottabad town.

The government, he said, was spending millions of rupees on the project.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2021