Owners of quarries, crusher units and trucks begin indefinite strike in TN

COIMBATORE: Members of the Tamil Nadu Stone Quarry, Crusher and Lorry Owners Association began an indefinite strike on Wednesday, demanding withdrawal of the newly imposed mineral-bearing land tax. Owners of around 130 quarries, 200 crusher units and more than 2,000 trucks in Coimbatore district are participating in the strike.

On April 4, the mines department began imposing a mineral-bearing land tax of Rs 90 per tonne on crushed stone.

K Chinnasamy, president of the Tamil Nadu Stone Quarry, Crusher and Lorry Owners Association, said, "With the new tax, we are now forced to pay an additional Rs 1,378 for one unit of rough boulder. This has led to an increase of Rs 700 in the price of one unit of jalli and M-sand."

He pointed out that neighbouring states like Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana do not impose the mineral-bearing land tax. "We demand that this new tax system be withdrawn immediately," he added.

Chinnasamy mentioned that many people were struggling to keep their units operational due to the extra financial burden. "We have to pay this tax every week or every ten days," he said.

He noted that the mines department had increased the seigniorage fee from cubic metre to one tonne, resulting in an additional payment of Rs 259 to the department, compared to the earlier Rs 90.

Gugan Ilango, president of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI), Coimbatore, expressed concern over the escalating prices of M-sand, P-sand and jalli, which have increased fourfold in the last eight months.

"If the indefinite strike continues, prices will rise further, and there will be a shortage of materials. This will increase the construction cost of buildings and apartments and could lead to the loss of jobs for lakhs of construction workers," he said.

Ilango urged the state govt to hold talks with the association members to address their grievances and regulate material prices. "Prolonging the strike will only push up the cost of construction," he added.