Nearly 200 stone crushing units in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have closed their operations.

This closure is likely to have an impact on the construction sector in these two districts, as stone aggregates are one of the important ingredients in construction sector, according to Manoj Shetty, president of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Quarry Owners’ Association.

Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, he said that the closure of stone crushing units follows a directive by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) in this regard. He said that around 120 stone crushing units in Dakshina Kannada and around 80 units in Udupi district stopped operations from September 22.

Shetty said that KSPCB has issued a directive to close the existing units and ordered them to shift to faraway place by creating a safe zone.

“This has been done without conducting detailed scientific study of viability or feasibility. The directive leads to extra transportation cost, and extra overheads resulting in increased cost of production,” he said.

Asked about the impact of closure on society, he said stone aggregates, manufactured at these stone crushing units, are one of the important ingredients in construction sector. This will have a major impact on the real estate developers and on various government infrastructure projects.

Added to this, Shetty said, nearly 10,000 people are dependent on this sector for their livelihood. The stone crushing units in these districts were producing around 2,000 truck loads of stone aggregates for construction industry in the region, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Mohammed Ameen, president of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that an alarming situation has been created with the closure of these units.

Stating that a significant amount has been invested in real estate projects and infrastructure projects in the region, he said such a move would have an adverse impact on them.

vinayak.aj@thehindu.co.in

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