The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Gravel supply stops

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Thursday, Nov 27, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Gravel supply stops

Staff Reporter

Lorry owners protest ‘harassment’

Quarry owners near Bidadi allegedly targeted by officials
‘One-lakh persons had been rendered jobless’

Bangalore: Supply of gravel to Bangalore city from crushing units have been stopped since Tuesday midnight as the State Crusher and Quarry Owners’ Association and the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners’ and Agents’ Associations have begun their indefinite strike to protest against alleged harassment by officials.

Federation president G.R. Shanmugappa and association president B.S. Lakshmipathi said that there was no other alternative to strike as harassment by officials continued despite directions from the ministers concerned.

They alleged that some officials were demanding bribe to grant permission to continue quarrying and to operate crushing units.

Mr. Lakshmipathi said quarrying was carried out near Bidadi from the past several decades and recently the Forest Department was harassing quarry owners stating that the land belonged to the department.

Similarly, despite the opinion of court appointed expert committee that quarrying could be carried out beyond one-km radius from dams, the officials were forcing crushing units to be located at a radius beyond two km from Tippagondanahalli Reservoir.

Unemployment

The harassment from officials had rendered over one lakh persons jobless besides affecting the lorry owners, drivers and cleaners who were engaged in transporting over 3,000 loads of gravel required for construction activities in the city every day.

They said the strike would continue till the Government took steps to stop harassment from the officials.

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