Quarry unions to call bandh if state govt doesn’t revise lease renewal policy

The Gujarat Blackstone Quarry Industrial Association and Gujarat Contractors Association have said they would call a bandh if the state government doesn’t revise its quarry release policy. In January,the state government had revised the quarry lease renewal policy,increasing the royalty rates of construction material.

Association secretary Anil Zinzuwadia said: “For the last six months,quarries lease renewal has come to a halt. New leases are not granted to the quarry owners. The state government is making blocks comprising a number of quarries. Soon after the blocks are finalised,the state government is going to invite bids. My question is what will happen to the quarry owners who have been working in a specific quarry for the last 15 years? The state government has also employed chartered accountants for the last five years audit. This should begin from the next year.”

He added: “The royalty of using government land for quarries has increased to 67 per cent. The government has increased the rate of soil from Rs 5 to Rs 12 per tonne,the royalty rates of metals have increased from Rs 15 to Rs 25 and the cost of the sand has also increased from Rs 8 to Rs 15. Prices have gone up and this affected has our business.”

He said for all government projects,like dams,roads and buildings,the government has not revised the rates. “The state government should consider these prices for the upcoming projects. We understand that the state government should increase the prices. We only object to the fact that it is going to cost us more after the royalty rates of raw materials are increased,” he said.