Concrete fruits

Himachal8217;s apple orchards are losing ground as cement majors offer crores in return for its limestone wealth

The red glow given to Himachal by its apple orchards is now set to be replaced with the white of cement. Driven by investment, the state has now taken the concrete road. The areas, known for producing some the country8217;s best apples, will now be manufacturing cement at mega-plants 8212; three of which have been sanctioned in the past six months.

Many in the state believe environmental concerns have taken a backseat in the state, in view of the larger gains in the booming cement industry. The government8217;s justification: the cement industry not only brings in heavy investment and creates employment, it also boosts local economy.

Till a decade ago, Himachal 8212; though vested with vast deposits of limeston 8212; had consciously kept the cement industry at low priority due to environmental concerns. Things began changing after the controversial entry of Gujarat Ambuja, which also managed to get a wildlife sanctuary de-notified for its giant cement plant at Darlaghat in Solan district in 1991-92.

At present, three cement plants are functional and Himachal appears to be cementing its future with eight more in the offing. The big players are all here 8212; French giant Lafarge, ACC, Gujarat Ambuja and Jai Prakash a company mainly into hydel power generation but now owner of two cement plants.

The first signs of the impact on environment, too, are already here. The Gujarat Ambuja cement plant has taken up several hectares of agricultural land at the site of its plant besides mining areas. Fields have been converted into residential colonies and commercial sites. And last month, the debris generated by the Jai Prakash company at the site of its upcoming plant near Arki caused extensive damage to the crops. The deputy commissioner of Solan, Rajesh Kumar, has called an inquiry against the company while the Himachal Pollution Control board has been served a notice. The company offered to compensate the farmers but 8220;is that an answer to environmental damage8221;, asks GK Nag, who heads the Jan Samasya Manch, an NGO opposing new cement plants in the state. Nag says the new plants have affected drinking water schemes and could cause further destabilisation of the hills by quarrying activities.

The government has its own share of worries. The coming up of the plants has meant increased movement of trucks on the already crowded hill roads. No less than 3,000 trucks drive up and down every day to the two cement plants at Darlaghat Gujarat Ambuja and Barmana ACC.

One of the key national highways, the Swarghat-Bilaspur-Kullu-Manali-Leh link, is already crowded, being the routine route for tourists. With three new cement plants to come up in a row, one of these at Sundernagar, the choking could only get worse. Added to that, officials point out, is construction activity for the 800-MW Kol Dam project coming up in the same area.

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State principal secretary PWD Subash Negi says there are plans to upgrade the Swarghat-Bilaspur portion of the highway under the inter-state economic improvement scheme by turning it into a four-lane one. 8220;Union Minister for Surface Transport TR Baalu has approved the project, beside sanctioning two new national highways, one of these to benefit upcoming cement plant at Chopal in Shimla district,8221; he says.

The government is, meanwhile, counting the gains. Against the Rs 21,000 crore in investment over the past three-and-a-half years, last year, the state earned nearly Rs 150 crore in taxes from the three cement plants, royalty and electricity bills excluded.