ROHTAK, July 14 -- The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has initiated proceedings to attach the properties of 22 stone crushing units in Mahendragarh that have failed to pay more than Rs.1.78 crore in environmental compensation imposed for violating pollution norms. The action, initiated on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), comes after repeated recovery notices failed to elicit compliance from the defaulting units. The pending amount is part of the Rs.5.39 crore environmental compensation levied on 88 stone crushers in the district for past environmental violations. According to the compliance report submitted before the NGT's principal bench the HSPCB revealed that it has recovered Rs.3.61 crore from 67 units, including one partial payment, while recovery proceedings have now been escalated against the remaining 22 units under the provisions of the Land Revenue Act. The report submitted by HSPCB regional officer Vijay Chaudhary stated that the board has referred all defaulting cases to the deputy commissioner Mahendragarh, for recovery of the outstanding dues as arrears of land revenue, thus paving the way for attachment of both movable and immovable properties. Officials said none of the penalised units challenged the environmental compensation assessed by the joint committee constituted under the NGT's directions. The pollution control board issued the last recovery communications to the district administration in May this year, pertaining to Mahalaxmi Stone Crusher at Dholera, which has outstanding dues of Rs.6.12 lakh. According to the order, the biggest defaulters are Shree Balaji Stone Crusher, Jainpur (Rs.16.06 lakh), Karni Maa Stone Crusher Garhi (Rs.14.81 lakh), Shree Ganesh Stone Crusher Gangutana (Rs.13.25 lakh), Bajrang Bali Stone Crusher Zerpur (Rs.11.87 lakh), Keshav Stone Crusher/Yograj Infrastructure Gangutana (Rs.11.62 lakh) and Bajrang Stone Crusher, Faizabad (Rs.11 lakh). The report also reveals that several defaulting units have already been dismantled or shut down by the HSPCB for operating in violation of consent conditions. According to the directions by the NGT the recovered compensation be utilised exclusively for environmental restoration measures in Mahendragarh. The HSPCB informed the tribunal that the concerned deputy commissioner has already forwarded the carrying capacity study to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for technical evaluation by an expert agency. The study is expected to form the basis for regulating the number and scale of stone crushing units that can operate in the district while maintaining environmental sustainability....