Mangalore, September 27: Around 200 stone quarries in twin coastal districts of Karnataka have been closed down since last Saturday in accordance with the order passed by the State High Court that the stone crushers be shifted to a separate zone, said Manoj Shetty, President of Quarry Owners Association, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, he said that the quarry members had been forced to shut-down, which would affect not only the quarry industry but also related industries such as the construction and real estate industries. This will lead to unemployment of hundreds of workers. A separate safe zone for crushers is impractical and not technically feasible as it increases the cost of production, as well as requires extra transportation. It will also result in loss of crores of rupees to the Government as revenue, he said.
He also said that the order had been implemented only in the state of Karnataka, mainly to curb the levels of pollution. But now, creation of a separate zone has taken a front seat, instead of the issue of pollution. When a similar separate zone for crushers was created in Haryana, it was found that the pollution level in the zone was 80 times higher than usual, according to a study made by the Central Pollution Control Board. Therefore, a separate zone will be hazardous and cause more damage to the environment, he said.
Mohammed Ameen, President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that an alarming situation was being created, where more than 200 industries and livelihood of more than 5000 workers was at stake. The construction industry whose revenue was around 800 crores will be affected badly, along with the real estate industry, he said.
K C Naik, founder secretary of CREDAI, Mangalore, said that the construction industry contributed more to the GDP than any other industry. The problem faced by the quarry owners is a problem of the entire state, which will cause loss to the people, he said, stating that a clear solution has not been given by the judiciary.
Vijay Mayya, Chairman of Association of Consulting Civil Engineers, said that technically, there was no material that could be used as a substitute for jelly, in construction of buildings and tarring of roads. The construction industry will completely be shut-down as a result of the closure of stone quarries. One of our demands is that a feasible and permanent solution be found to continue the quarrying in a pollution-free way.
Sudesh Jain, Builders' Association also spoke on the occasion.
K C Kamath, Vice President of Quarry Owners Association, and Radhakrishnan Naik, Builders' Association, were present at the press conference.
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