The Khordha crusher units’ owners have complained of facing various hardships, for which they have shut down the units since July 27. 

As a result, hundreds of unemployed youths who engaged their trucks in supplying spalls from the stone quarries, besides workers of the units have lost their livelihood.

The association has demanded quarrying permission in all the 18 existing hillocks owned by Lord Jagannath, asking all quarry owners to submit Y-form and implementation of royalty rate for mining as fixed before 2015.

The association complained that STF team was frequently raiding the crusher units. Besides, due to lack of permission only 7 quarries are in operation which are unable to supply sufficient spalls to the crushers units to make them run to their full capacity. The association also raised the issue of the rent hike for the lands used to set up crusher units which has come as another stumbling block to operate the business.   

“Earlier permission for quarrying was directly obtained from the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration. The crusher units owners also gave rent of Rs 60,000 per year to the temple administration for the land used to set up their units. However, the rent was hiked later to Rs 1. 20 lakh,” the assoxiation said and demanded that the pre-revised rent before 2015 be implemented. 

In Press meet on Tuesday said the association said that a memorandum in this regard  enlisting the demands has been submitted to the Khurdha district Collector. Khordha MLA Jyotirndra Nath Mitra told that the attention of the State Government has been drawn over the problems faced by the crusher units owners in the Assembly and the  State Government was willing to sort out the issue. He asked the crusher unit association to form a committee to decide their further course of action.

Among others, association president Prakash Kumar Samantray, secretary Pradesh Bairiganjan, vice president Subash Patra and Raj Patra were present.