Addressing a programme in the Capital on Saturday, President Yadav said if the crusher industries get free rein there could be rampant mining of sand, stones, boulders and aggregates.

It could threaten the environment since the crusher industries that were , he said.  

Last week, the government had lifted the regulation on crusher industries until mid-June, considering the ongoing development works.

An official at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MoSTE) said the decision was made after the pressure from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Industries.

President Yadav said deforestation, river erosion and encroachment are already posing the risk of floods and landslides in the Mahabharat and Chure regions. Allowing crusher industries to operate without any regulations could make the situation worse, he added.

In July 2014, the MoSTE had formulated the new regulation that required crusher industries to run their operation 500 metres away from highways and riverside, 100 metres away from high-tension electricity grid, and 2 km away from schools, colleges,  hospitals, security installations, forests, national parks, human settlement, and religious and archaeological sites. There are around 700 crusher industries operating in the country. Many of them are engaged in haphazard extraction of natural resources, which has affected the local environment.