Stone quarries in Tamil Nadu back down on hiking prices by 1,000 per tonne

Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu Stone Quarries, Crusher Units, and Lorry Owners Association has backed down from its April 22 decision to hike prices of blue metal, M-Sand, and P-Sand by ₹1,000 per tonne.

The association announced the hike after the mines department had imposed mineral-bearing land tax —₹90 per tonne of rough boulder—on April 4.

With the introduction of this tax, quarry owners are now required to pay an additional ₹700 per unit of rough boulder.

The association launched an indefinite strike on April 16, demanding the withdrawal of the tax.

President of the association K Chinnasamy said a meeting was held on Sunday with water resources minister Duraimurugan and senior govt officials to discuss the new tax, the seigniorage fee hike, and other demands.

"The govt refused to roll back the new tax. Instead, it agreed to reduce the seigniorage fee on rough boulders from ₹60 to ₹33 per tonne," he said.

"We have also demanded that the govt clear bills from contractors only when they produce the original permits to procure building materials from quarries and crusher units, in order to prevent the use of illegal materials," he added. The govt has agreed to implement this demand, Chinnasamy said.