Shut down of 200 quarries affects construction and real estate industry

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sept. 27, 2012: The shutting down of around 200 stone quarries in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada following a High Court order that stone crushers must be moved into a separate zone has had a serious impact on the real estate industry.

Explaining the issue at a press conference held on Thursday, Quarry Owners’ Association President Manoj Shetty said that the shutting down of stone quarries will affect not only the quarry industry, but also the real estate and construction industries, which depend on the quarry industry for their survival. Besides, hundreds of workers will lose their jobs, he added.

Regarding moving stone crushers to a separate zone, he said that this is impractical and technically unfeasible as it will raise the cost of production and transportation. This will also result in severe revenue loss for the state government, he added.

Stating that the creation of a separate zone for stone crushers will not solve pollution problems, he cited the example of Haryana and said that pollution level shot up by 80 percent when a separate zone was created in Haryana. A report by the Central Pollution Control Board clearly shows that separate zones for stone crushers is more dangerous to the environment.

Speaking on the occasion, KCCI President Mohammed Ameen said that the High Court order has had a serious effect on over 200 quarries and over 5000 workers. This will indirectly affect the real estate industry, which is worth over 800 crores.

CREDAI Founder Secretary K. C. Naik said that the construction industry has contributed more to the GDP than any other industry, adding that the quarry industry’s problems are the problems of the entire state because it will lead to huge financial loss.

Vijay Mayya, chairman of the Association of Consulting Civil Engineers, said that there is no substitute for jelly, owing to which the real estate and construction industry will be paralyzed if stone quarries cannot function. He said that the association demands a permanent solution for pollution problems caused by quarrying.

Among those present were Sudesh Jain of Builders’ Association, K. C. Kamath, vice president of Quarry Owners’ Association, and Radhakrishna Naik of the Builders’ Association.