The High Court stay on stone crushers and curbs on lifting sand from river beds in Mysore district has hit the local truck operators, apart from scaling up cost of construction material. Crushers have been ordered to be closed in the state in view of the environmental pollution they are causing. As a result, 3,700 crushers have been shutdown across the state by the stone mining owners.
In Mysore district, around 1,600 trucks are hit. Around 60 per cent of them transport crushed stones of different sizes, like big, small and boulders. The rest 40 per cent move sand, bricks and other construction material, according to the Mysore City Local Lorry Owners’ Association.
If crushed stones are not available for construction, the 40 per cent of the trucks which transport sand and other items are likely to lose business. These trucks would come to standstill. This would hit construction activity of both private and the government agencies, Association President B Kodandaramu said today. Similarly, recent curbs and action of the district authorities to prevent sand mining from river beds has led to sand scarcity. The promise made by the Deputy Commissioner that lifting of sand from river basins would be auctioned and licences would be issued to contractors has not materialised so far, he said at a press meet.
It was only in Mysore district, a fine of Rs 25,000 was being imposed on those transporting sand without permit, Secretary M Swamy said pleading for its reduction to Rs 5,000 as per the regulations of the Department of Mining and Mysore Mineral Corporation.
Kodandaramu urged the government to intervene immediately and see the stay is lifted when the case comes up before the High Court on March 11 by submitting proper records and see that the interests of the truck owners are protected. It should allow movement of crushed stones until safer stone mining and crushing zones are announced. He appealed to the deputy commissioner to issue permits for removing and transporting sand immediately.
If the government failed to act, he said the truck operators would resort to a protest strike by stopping movement of all trucks in the district on March 14, under the banner of the association. Meanwhile, Minister Sureshkumar has said in the Assembly that the government was formulating a policy in respect of stone crushing. It would be within the ambit of the court order and the policy would be placed before the house next week.
