TAXILA, Feb 5: The authorities concerned have turned a blind eye to consistent quarrying and crushing activities in the Margallas here, causing serious threat to environment and natural ecological settings of the area.

Because of alarming increase in the pollution and dust in the air, various skin, water borne and respiratory diseases are rampant among the residents of union council Thatta Khalil, especially Dhoke Hakam Dad, Baseera, Jandou, Chokkar and other areas.

Dr Ramazan Rana, a physician who treats patients of the area, said the dust could damage lungs, ears, eyes and skin.

Mohammad Nazakat, a social worker, said besides health issues, noise pollution, caused by dynamite explosions and heavy machinery, had disrupted the life of the locals.

“The blasting leaves a cloud of dust which the people in Taxila, Wah Cantt and nearby areas inhale,” said Dr Saeed Ahmed, President Human and Environment development Association, an NGO working in the area.

Official sources said that the Punjab Industries and Mineral Development Department was responsible for monitoring the crushing. According to official data, the Punjab government issued notices to 188 stone crushing units last year but ironically the activity continued unabated rather increased with each passing day.

The inside sources told this reporter that some 22 leases were granted to owners but now half of the leases have expired. Approximately 70 stone-crushing units are operating despite the fact that their leases had expired.

According to the Punjab Mines and Minerals Department, 1,000 to 1,500 trucks carry gravels from the Margalla hills to Peshawar and Lahore.

Contractors say the government departments including Pak-PWD, National Highway Authority (NHA) and Rawalpindi District Government encourage them to use gravel from the Margalla area because according to them its sandstone was suitable for construction purposes.

The Punjab government officials claimed that they had served notices on owners of stone crushing plants operating in Taxila and sent their cases to Environment Protection Tribunal Punjab but the situation on the ground showed an opposite picture.

Meanwhile, an official in the Punjab Mines and Minerals Department, on condition of anonymity said the Punjab chief minister had rejected a proposal to grant legal status to the stone crushers.

He said the chief minister desired zero tolerance to the crushers and had constituted a committee under the chief secretary to implement his decision, but it was not done allegedly due to political pressure.

The provincial department concerned has been generating billions of rupees from the owners of stone crushing plants despite the fact that Taxila is a Unesco World Heritage Site and has been protected under Pakistani Federal law since 1982. In 2006, the EPA had declared the area falling within 1000 yards radius of Margalla Hills a no-crushing zone

An official of the Environment Protection department said that the illegal stone-crushing activities would adversely affect the environment of the area.