The National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Hyderabad: An 18-year-long legal battle waged by a woman farmer against mining activity near the Outer Ring Road (ORR) has culminated in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordering action against pollution that caused crop losses worth Rs 2.8 lakh.
On July 9, the NGT directed authorities to tighten supervision of quarries, stone crushers and hot mix plants operating in Rangareddy and Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri districts.
Ruling on a petition filed by Pisati Indira Reddy, the tribunal held that no mining or industrial unit could operate without valid clearances, even if it was located within a designated mining zone. It further ruled that quarry operators whose applications were pending under the “violation category” could not begin or resume operations until they obtained environmental clearance and consent orders from the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB).
According to a report by the Times of India, Reddy filed the petition along with fellow farmer Akiti Nikhil Kumar Reddy. The two had raised concerns over mining, stone crushing and hot mix plant operations in Bandaravirala village of Abdullapurmet mandal in Rangareddy district, and in Deshmukhi village of Bhudan Pochampally mandal in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district. Additional units were also located near Saddupalli, Chinna Ravirala and Pedda Amberpet.
“I have been complaining since 2008. My first complaint was made to the Mines Department. I complained to several officials and departments over the years,” Indira Reddy told TOI.
Reddy had first approached the Telangana High Court in 2020, and the case was disposed of with directions for necessary action to be taken. She then moved the NGT in 2022, with the tribunal finally delivering its judgment on July 9, 2026.
Following an investigation, a committee found that dust deposition from the mining and industrial activity had forced the petitioners to abandon agricultural operations on their land for about two years. Based on the minimum support prices fixed by the state government for the crops grown on the land, the tribunal assessed the total crop loss at Rs 2.8 lakh.
The committee, however, did not find evidence of widespread agricultural damage beyond the petitioners’ own land, and recommended that they take up alternative crops suggested in the agricultural report, in consultation with local agriculture officers.
While the committee determined that ambient air quality in the area was within prescribed limits, the tribunal noted that pollution-control measures installed by some units, including water sprinklers and wind-breaking walls, were inadequate to address the cumulative impact of the large number of mining and industrial units operating in the region.
This post was last modified on July 11, 2026 1:36 pm