An increased royalty on mine and minerals has severely affected the stone quarrying and stone crushing plants across the State. A noted stone crushing plant owner Ravi Shanker Singh of Chhaterpur said the hike in royalty has crippled their business and days are not far off when stone crushing plants will close down leading to hundreds of work force sit idle.

He said there was a royalty of Rs 105 per tonne on stone, which has been hiked by the State Mines and Mineral department to Rs 137 per tonne. Similarly the stone which reaches the crushing plant has its own royalty that the Government takes.  Here the royalty is Rs 250 per tonne at the crushing plant. Thus the jump is from Rs 105 per tonne to Rs 250 at the crushing plant.

He said the 10 mm stone chips which came at Rs 500 per tonne now costs Rs 650. Again 20 mm stone chip earlier at Rs 800 per tonne is now at Rs 950 per tonne. There is a jump in price of 30 mm stone chip which has risen from Rs 900 per tonne toRs  1,050 per tonne said he.

He said this hike in royalty has pushed up the price of stone chips which has come as a big burden to people who are making homes as right from foundation down to roof casting stone chips are required in bulk. Their estimated cost of house construction has gone up he added.Beneficiaries of PM Awas Gramin Yojana are the worst affected as this royalty has terribly upset their plan to have a house within 1.50 lakhs of rupees.

Singh said he had a contract of selling railway blast ( called gittie) of 63 mm for 17 railway rakes which was Rs 600 per tonne before the hike and now the same is Rs 750 per tonne.

“My railway contractor with whom I have this contract of supplying 17 rakes of railway blast has thrown up his hands in air citing he will come crushing down because of this jump of Rs 150 per tone,”  said Singh. He said, “ Our agreement paper where lie the signatures of both of us reads that in the event of Government raising the royalty of stone comes into effect the price per tonne will be realised as per the enhanced royalty. All said and done but this railway contractor’s worries cannot be dismissed also but my financial interests too cannot be ignored.” There is an association of stone quarrying owners here which is an unregistered body but nevertheless the association has asked the Government to review the rise of royalty in such a manner.

There are 52 stone quarries in Palamu and the high royalty has cast a dark cloud over them.